A Day in the Other Life
by AnimeAries402
Summary: For one day, she's not a queen, merely an ordinary person. And for one day, and an old friend isn't stealing treasure, but instead her heart. Vaashe
1. Unexpected Savior

Full Summery:

Tired of her dreary and boring life as queen, Ashe decides to take a day off. Wanting some fun, she heads out into the streets of Rabanastre, but only in disguise so she doesn't give herself away. But an all too familiar face sees past this, and the two are stuck with one another for the rest of the day, only for feelings to arise that they never knew existed.

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Hey there all, this is a story about my favorite FF XII couple, Vaan x Ashe. This is a really sweet story, and I hope that you all enjoy reading it. Thanks for reading this part, now on with the show...

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A Look at the Other Life

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For a strange reason, she thought that there were eyes following her wherever it was she went. Maybe it was paranoia, or maybe she was just overreacting. Whatever it was, she really didn't like it. It made her uneasy, and made her want to run away.

Only running would reveal herself. After all the trouble she had gone through to get as far as she was, she wasn't about to give it all up. Besides, it hadn't even been that long yet. She wasn't ever going to back down this soon. That would be weak, and incredibly weak at that.

No, Queen Ashelia never backed down from a challenge, especially one she had gotten herself into.

At that very moment, she was walking through the streets of her city, Rabanastre. She was amongst the people, all those who she ruled over. It really was all hers, and she was walking through the very middle of it. But unlike usual, she wasn't followed by an entourage or royal guard, she was alone. She was walking amongst them like she was them, not anyone but a mere person.

Still, that didn't mean she didn't feel particularly weird at that moment.

For the occasion, she'd dressed like anyone else in the street. From her resistance days, she adorned her infamous red skirt. With it, was a top that had sleeves to her elbows, the neck dropping to ring around her shoulders. And over that, was a vest that cut off and buckled under her chest. Fashionable, yet normal. And on her feet were sandals, delicately fastened around her ankles.

But, she wasn't naive. She knew that walking straight out into the street was not a smart plan. Not only would no one allow it, but everyone would recognize her at that. Her people knew what she looked like. She liked to make public appearances, and with that, people knew what she looked like. They could spot her out easily in a crowd, and that was a problem.

It was a must to do something to make it so that no one could recognize her. And so, what she did was tie her hair back, tucking it into a scarf that she wrapped securely around the entire length of her scalp. It covered her forehead, and hid her hair. With it, she wore large earrings emerging from beneath her scarf. She took expert time and effort into carefully crafting it so that she looked, well, normal. If someone were to look at her from far away, they wouldn't even spot her out of the crowd. She blended in nicely.

Of course Vanira, her lady-in-waiting had mentioned that she looked like a gypsy when she presented her with the outfit. She simply smiled at this, telling her that was her goal. It was only with Vanira that she had even gotten out of the palace. She'd told her that she wanted to go, and of course he had been negative about the suggestion. Then, after some prodding, he let her go. Only, she had her promise on a few conditions.

For one, she couldn't tell anyone who she was. The other thing, was to arm herself and that was in effect with the small fire arm attached to her upper thigh. On the inside, she'd tucked in a small knife. And of course, she had to make sure no one found out about her little "adventure."

The plan was actually very sneaky. To the public, she had taken a "leave of absence." And this was no more than a vacation, where she completely left the city. That was the explanation for her not being there. Only, for her leave of absence, she was going to stay in the palace, and just relax for a few days. At least, that's what Vanira told the court. That's why the servants would tend to her in the morning, and in the evening, but not see her for the rest of the day. And how did she even get out? Well, for one, she climbed out her window. It was actually safe, and once Vanira distracted the guards it was easy to get away.

But even so, why did she go to all the trouble? Well, behind the brave and all-powerful queen, was still the young woman that had never really gotten those few years of fun that a teenager was supposed to have. Through all of her twenty-one years, she never got to experience fun, or to have what others did. She just wanted a little freedom, something that everyone else had, but she didn't. She just wanted to be like everyone else, normal.

To be honest about the entire thing, she felt quite giddy. The fact that she was getting away with this, and that it was working, made her feel like a girl again. She almost felt as if she had gotten away with stealing a cookie, as innocent as that was. She had _never _actually done anything out of line. To do so now was foreign, and it came with all of the strange feelings.

Rabanastre was a beautiful city. And even from affair, no one could really see that beauty. You could only see it, experience it, if you walked its streets. Only those who lived in the city could see how wonderful it was. It was an envy of others, and for her, the ruler of it, not to see it would be a waste. What was one day away from her normal duties going to do?

Ashe was snapped right out of her thoughts when she practically tripped over a moogle. She was walking in the bazaar, and her eyes and attention had been elsewhere. She almost jumped out of the way, looking around for what she had nearly stepped on. Her eyes wide, she looked down and held onto the scarf around her head. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" she exclaimed, leaning down and putting a hand to her chest.

The moogle, obviously female since it was not only wearing pink, but a dress, merely waved it off. Flowers adorned her head, and long sleeves covered her hands. "It's fine, really, kupo," she said. "Happens all the time."

She a little startled, Ashe nodded. But then she jumped again as she heard a small cry. The moogle looked up, and sighed. She shook her head. "Those three are at it again, kupo," she said, sounding a mix of annoyed, and concerned. "Why can't they let that poor boy alone?"

As she looked up, Ashe followed her gaze to see what she was talking about. There, a little whiles away, were a few humes. The cry had come from the shorter of the four, looking to be a boy of about maybe eleven. He was being hopelessly restrained, as not only did he try to get free, but he was reaching out to grasp a messenger bag that was being dangled above him.

Holding the bag was a young man, maybe a few years younger than she was. His hair was black, longer and hanging loosely around his face. He had a wicked grin, but a strong build. All of the older ones were wearing something to the sort of a loose shirt, with longer pants and boots. It looked a little but uniformly. But his shirt was ripped down the front, strung together with a cord. He looked definitely like the leader.

With him, was a scrawny, and smaller young man. He had an ill look to him, sharing the same smile as his comrade. He didn't appear nearly as strong, but he did look like he was smarter. The last one was large, a big, bulky young man. Though tall and strong, he didn't seem like he was the brains of the operation.

Ashe raised an eyebrow; leader, interpreter, and muscle. A combination of the three was never good. She didn't have much experience, but she did know that it was bad.

Then, the queen looked down to the moogle, brow wrinkled with confusion. "Again?" she echoed, curiously.

"Of course," was the reply. "They do that often, kupo. And to Kytes too. The boy is only doing his job, and they always have to interrupt him."

Looking between the scene, and the person she was speaking to, Ashe continued to question. "Job?" she asked. "A boy like him?"

The moogle appeared surprised. "You aren't from around here, are you, kupo?" she asked, then chuckled to herself, covering her mouth with her sleeve. "He has a job alright. Kytes works for Migelo, delivering things here and there. For it, he gets room and board, kupo."

It was then that Ashe realized something. She looked up to the boy, and recalled what a friend once told her. Many children had been orphaned in the war. And even with the war gone, that didn't mean the orphans disappeared.

The moogle with her looked up to her, and blinked. "Are you alright, kupo?"

Inhaling, Ashe looked up with a fire in her eyes. "I will be," she promised with confidence.

Not knowing what had gotten into her, but all that she knew was that she was walking. And the next thing she knew, she was grabbing the bag from the leader's grasp, fiercely taking it away.

It took a moment for the few cackling boys to realize what had happened. With a rather disturbed snarl, she looked at the one that held the boy. "Let him go!" she demanded.

Almost as if someone had slapped each of them, they just stared at her. Kytes had stopped squirming, and looked nervously between the leader, and her. It was then, that the group's leader snapped out of it first. A smirk was brought on, and he looked at her as though he was impressed. "Well, look what we have here," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "We've got a straggler who doesn't know her place."

There was a knowing chuckle from the two behind him. In this time, Kytes had managed to get free, taking advantage of his captor's loosened grip. He dashed over to her, and stood near her leg. He looked up to her, weary as he looked between her, and the others. "I appreciate it, lady," he said, tone low. "But you really shouldn't mess with Bayna and his gang."

Bayna, being the leader, she was sure. With confidence, she looked up from the boy, and back to the matter at hand. "He doesn't scare me," she stated, more to Bayna, than to Kytes.

At this, the gang leader raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he asked, sarcasm dripping off his lips. He stepped up to her and then reached out to hold her chin in hands. "Do you get tipped extra for the authority?"

It was at this, that her eyes widened. The scrawnier of the two henchmen chuckled, elbowing the other to do so as well. Mouth dropped, Ashe was at loss for words. Was he insinuating that she was...?

Crack!

His grip on her chin was released, and she only saw her hand raised in front of her. Bayna was facing the other way, wide eyed as he blinked out into space. A bright red hand-print was growing on his cheek, but the only thing she did was stare at him with a fury in her gaze.

"Even if I was a prostitute," she snarled, voice hitched up high as she scolded him. "That would be much higher up politically than _you_!"

The two in the background simply gaped at her, jaws hanging wide open. After a moment of silence, Bayna finally regained his composure. After the shock, he only then comprehended what had just happened. After touching his cheek, he turned to look at her. An anger to the same magnitude as her own was in his eyes as he moved to lash out to her. "Why you—!"

Ashe drew back, wincing for impact. But the blow never came. The only thing she knew, was that a strong arm hugged her, pulling her into a warm embrace. Connecting her hip to his own, the form in question then held her close, before extending his other arm out. He put his hand on Bayna's chest, and almost stepped between them as he pushed the other young man back.

"Whoa, whoa," the warm, yet familiar voice said. He sounded friendly, but then again, threatening at the same time. "What are you trying to pull this time, Bayna?"

Kytes, still standing next to her, smiled brightly. "Vaan!"

It had happened so fast, that Ashe didn't have time to react. Once she was pulled back to the present, her head whipped around to look at the face that the voice came from. She knew that voice, she'd know it anywhere.

There, standing right next to her was none other than the blond-haired young man that she had ventured with two years ago. Vaan hadn't changed entirely too much, his short hair loosely hanging in his face around his eyes, the rest in a wave in the back. But he had grown, and as he had, so did his features. They were more structured, more refined. There was a hard look in his deep brown eyes, as well as a knowing in them. Not only that, he was a good few inches taller than she was. It had been the opposite the last time she saw him.

She couldn't see all that he was wearing, but for what she saw, he was clearly wearing a vest that was buckled down the front, but left open some skin. The thing was chromed like usual, but it was longer, and covered all of his upper body. Slacks were more simple, though he still wore boots with a little armor. He wore only one belt, with pockets and a holster for a fire arm. And what had stayed, were the armlets he wore around his wrists, gloves gone.

Ashe felt her breath catch in her throat as she saw him standing there. She never even dreamed of running into him ever again. But there he was, standing right there with his arm around her. She didn't know what to do, or even say. It was when she finally spoke, that she made a squeak, eyes wide with her shock. "Vaan?" she whispered, voice almost unheard.

His all-knowing eyes landed on her, and he grinned at her for a second before turning back to the problem at hand. She could have sworn she saw him wink.

Bayna, on the other hand, looked even more angry than before. He huffed at the sight of the blond young man, looking him up and down with disgust. "Pull?" he echoed. "Was I doing something wrong?" He didn't sound serious.

Vaan only showed a mocking smile as he looked at the ringleader. Then, confidently he answered him, "Trying to hurt my girl? Now, that isn't a smart move, is it?"

Ashe felt her eyebrows raise. What did he say?

Bayna didn't look impressed, making a sound of disbelief. "_Your _girl?" he replied, not sounding in the least impressed. "Since when? I've never seen _her _around before."

Vaan only shrugged, pouting and brow rising. "If you have, tell me," he stated with a knowing smile. "Amalia here's from out of town." He turned his head to look at her. "Just arrived this morning, didn't you?"

He was lying through his teeth, and he knew it. But she thought it better to play along. Maybe they could get out of this safely. She was almost certain the two were rivals, but she couldn't prove it. Who knew what would happen should this hooligan figure out Vaan was lying?

Quickly, she retaliated to back him up. Putting on a big smile, she then turned in his embrace, and almost jumped to hug him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She gushed at him with delight. "There you are darling!" she exclaimed, smiling widely. She kept her voice normal, knowing Bayna would be suspicious. "I was just looking for you."

After a hug, she let go long enough to peck his cheek with a kiss. Through the entire thing, she didn't feel him move, deeply hoping that he would think of something to do. But Vaan was a better actor than she took him for. He smiled delightfully at her, before leaning down to nuzzle her cheek. His other arm had joined the first, clasped around her waste. Then, he planted a kiss of his own onto her hairline. Once she knew he was cooperating with her, she moved things along. So, to make it definite, she put her head in the crook of his shoulder and turned to look at Bayna with a menacing glare. Even as she stood there, she still couldn't believe that she had actually done that.

Bayna was still doubtful, seen with his crossed arms. Then, he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever, like I care," he growled. He showed his words well, looking straight at both of them without even flinching. "Tell her to stop messing in our business."

Vaan then closed his eyes, and shook his head. Ashe turned to look at him, then to Bayna as they spoke. "I'd hardly call it that," he replied. "Whatever it is that you do."

Bayna's eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward. Vaan was quicker, and met him before he could do anything. "Watch it, Bayna," he warned, putting an arm out again to stop him.

The tone in his voice was startling. Ashe didn't think he had ever held it before, not around her anyway. It was a menacing, and commanding tone, one used by a higher officer. The look in his eyes was self-assuring, though smug at the same time.

"You certainly don't want any trouble." It wasn't a suggestion.

Even through it all, he hadn't let go of her. He simply shifted her in the opposite direction, placing him in between her, and Bayna. It was almost as if he was protecting her.

Ashe wearily looked between the two, waiting for one of the to back down. Both had a strong look in their gazes, but Vaan had the only one with confidence in it. It was almost as if he was holding something over Bayna's head, and was silently reminding him about it. Whatever it was, the silent duel was over in enough time for Bayna to step down.

He took a step back, and motioned for the two others to follow him. They didn't look sure, but did so anyway. Slowly, the three walked away, moping as they disappeared behind the crowd.

Almost as soon as they were gone, Ashe smiled brightly, before turning to face Vaan. Hugging him once more, she almost knocked him over this time. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, wobbling to stay up. Tightly, her arms wrapped around his neck and held on. "Hold up there, you're gonna choke me."

Ashe squeezed him once more, before she let go and took a step away from him. "It is you!" she exclaimed, a large smile on her face. "I am so glad to see a familiar face."

Vaan looked surprised, but then chuckled as he slowly released her, scratching the back of his head. "You didn't know it was me?" he asked, brow wrinkled.

Ashe chuckled, and shook her head. "Of course I did, silly," she said, waving it off. "I just didn't think I'd see you again."

His brow wrinkled and he looked as if he wanted to speak, but there was an interruption. "Uh..." came a voice. They both looked over to Kytes, still standing there. He had witnessed the entire thing. Only, he had a very confused look on his face. "You _do _know her, Vaan?" Apparently he had been thinking the entire thing was a set up.

The older boy blinked, and then laughed. "Hey there, Kytes," he said, rubbing the boy's head. "Yeah. Amalia here's an old friend of mine."

Ashe blinked, brow wrinkling. He was still using her alias. Why? Then, she put on a happy face and looked between the two with a friendly curiosity. "You two know each other?" she asked, looking between Vaan and the boy.

Vaan turned to her and smiled. "Yep, for a while actually. Back when I used to run errands for Migelo," he replied, then he turned to the younger boy. "Kytes, this is Amalia. I met her on that trip I took a while ago."

"Oh," Kytes stated, looking a little less confused. "So, you are from out of town?"

Ashe stopped at this, but Vaan replied for her. "Of course. Didn't ya here me when I told Bayna off?" he asked, leaning over and resting his weight on his thighs. "Now, enough talk. You've gotta go deliver that for Migelo."

It was then that the boy remembered. His eyes widened, and he gasped. "Oh, man, I'm late!" he exclaimed, not waiting to turn and run in a direction. He waved over his shoulder as he disappeared. "Thanks for the help, Amalia!"

With a little shock, Ashe raised her hand and waved it limply. It was then that she heard the sound of laughter. She looked over, to her old friend, seeing him facing the other way and shaking his head. Arms crossed, he turned to look at her. There was a sort of joy in his eyes. "Well," he started, coming up to her. Then, standing right in front of her, he leaned down to look her in the eye. "If it isn't Ashe."

Looking a little guilty, she licked her lips and looked to the side, fidgeting where she stood. "I guess I'm... busted?" she offered, looking up to him with an apologetic look.

He gave her a look of knowing and just nodded. "Yeah, you're busted," he replied, smile almost devious. Then he nodded to the side. "Come this way."


	2. Catching Up

"How have you...?"

"Been?" Ashe offered as she strolled along.

Vaan walked with her, staying by her side as they made their way through the crowds of the city. He nodded at her suggestion, staying calm as he meandered. They really had nowhere to go, but walking seemed inevitable.

Ashe felt uncomfortable for a strange reason. This was Vaan, but she felt different somehow. She knew that it was him; she did see him there beside her. Still, that didn't explain the odd sensation she was getting by being with him. Maybe it was the fact that she had to look _up _to actually look him in the eye.

Whatever it meant, she still felt uneasy as she walked there with him. Her fingers twiddled together, and she played with them with nervousness. Then, she blinked and looked down to her hands. What was she doing, flustering like this? Never in all her years had she had a nervous habit before, so it was unfamiliar to suddenly have one. Why she suddenly did in the first place, she didn't know.

When Vaan nodded after she finished his sentence, she bit her lip and looked to the ground. "Well," she started. She felt him looking at her, and she almost shivered. "I'm alright, I suppose."

She didn't see his eyebrow go up with suspicion. "Really?" he asked. "You're sure."

Not seeing that he had meant something behind it, she nodded and let out a long breath. But then she smiled anyway. "I'm not unwell," she tried, looking up to face him. Then she saw his expression, and blinked. "What?"

He only chuckled as he closed his eyes and turned the other way. "It's nothing," he replied, shaking his head.

Her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. "Oh, yes it is," she replied, coming up beside him. She grasped his arm and forced him to look at her, all awhile giving him a challenging look. They both stopped in their tracks, and she held her ground. "If you aren't going to tell me, at least answer some questions I have," she concluded, crossing her arms.

He seemed impressed, and pouted with thought before he spoke. "Seems reasonable."

"Well, first off, how did find me?" she asked out of pure curiosity.

As they began walking again, he shrugged. "Actually, I was looking for Kytes to be honest," he answered, not looking at her. "Migelo sent me to watch him."

"This... Migelo," she started, brow wrinkled. "He's a merchant?"

"Yeah, actually," he said, just as he paused in mid-step. Vaan held up a finger for her, and she waited there for him. He went over to a stand, and picked up two pieces of fruit. He signaled to the vendor, who nodded to him as Vaan threw over a coin.

Ashe felt her brow go up. He ... paid? It wasn't that she thought of him as a thief completely, but didn't sky-pirates steel? Seeing him do the opposite was a little surprise. Then again, this was Vaan. Why was she thinking badly of him?

He then came over and took her wrist, placing one of the two pieces of fruit in her hand. "Here, it's good," he commented as he began to walk again.

She blinked, looking down at the fruit in her hand. Then, she shook her head and placed it in a pocket in her pouch, and then began walking after him. Quickly catching up to him, she stood beside him again. "So, you work for him?" she asked, just as he took a bite out of his own.

When he had swallowed, he nodded to reply, shrugging more or less. "Kind of. I do some things, but I pay my own rent," he replied, almost if it were nothing.

"Really?" she asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah, all I do at his place is sleep. That's not much," he commented. "Besides, I keep track of his stuff, and keep fiends away so his packages arrive in time." Then, he gave her a knowing look. "Not to mention I keep an eye on his messengers."

She nodded with understanding. "Kytes and others?"

He nodded. "Yup," he said, finishing his small meal and throwing it away. "Since he usually gets side-tracked, I followed him." Then he turned his head to look at her. "That's when I found you defending him."

"You... recognized me?" she asked, brow raised. She was almost afraid to find out the answer to that. It would mean her efforts had done nothing.

Vaan didn' reply right away. He looked up in thought, crossing his arms. "Well, not at first," he stated. He nodded with his head tilted down. "Your skirt was a give-away."

Ashe looked away, feeling her face growing red. She winced before looking back to him and asking him a question, "Is it that obvious?" she asked him, brow wrinkled

As they had been walking, she noticed that they made it to a bridge that connected two parts of the city. Vaan led her over to the side, where he turned and leaned back against the railing. He faced her, placing his hands beside him on the railing itself. "Well, I wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for the skirt," he said, looking her in the eye as she stepped up to stand beside him. Her hands held onto the railing as well. "Otherwise, it would have worked."

Her brow wrinkled as she turned to look at him. "What would have?" she asked.

"Your disguise," he replied, acting completely casual. He gestured to her outfit, looking her up and down. "You _are _wearing one, aren't you?" he asked hopefully.

She closed her eyes and nodded her head. "Yes," she replied. "Well, I have to change it now."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Turning to him, she gave him a look. "Because if _you _figured it out, then others will too," she replied, sounding a little annoyed. "I can't very well go around like I normally would."

For a moment, he paused. Then, with a coy smile, he stood up completely and crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned in towards her, and when she finally looked up, she jumped at how close he was to her. She placed a hand over her chest, and made a confused face at his devious one. "...What?" she asked, skeptically.

"You... escaped the palace, didn't you?"

Blinking, she just looked at him. Then, she laughed out and turned away. She had forgotten that he didn't know she had snuck out. He didn't know why either. And with that in mind, she knew he'd have questions.

Then, she played innocent and put on a smug smile. "Well," she started, as she turned to lean against the railing like he had been. "I could have."

Her smile gave away her answer. Vaan only continued to give her an unimpressed look. "Ah-uh," he stated out of pure sarcasm. Then turned and started to walk away. "Then I can go tell a guard you're not in the palace."

Ashe felt her eyes widen, and she ran over and pulled on his arm. "Now wait just a minute," she hissed, fearing the worst. If her guard knew she wasn't there, she'd be in serious trouble.

Vaan only stopped and turned to face her, laughing the entire time. "That was easy," he said, turning to look at her.

Her jaw dropped and she gapped at him. With a growl, she slapped his shoulder, with him laughing the entire time. "That _wasn't _funny!" she exclaimed.

Merrily, he nodded. "Yes it was."

At this, her eyes glared, but she couldn't help but smile as she playfully hit him once again. He lifted his arm up to shield himself. "Hey, hey!" he cried out. "A little mercy here?"

It was then that he finally got her to stop, by grasping her wrists and holding them together. Her brow wrinkled and gave him a dry look. "Why would you kid about something like that?" she asked him. She tried, but couldn't hide her smile.

He only shrugged. "Because it was funny to see you angry," he replied, a pure laughter in his brown eyes.

Ashe had been cross a moment ago, but seeing the laughter in his eyes made her calm. Vaan had that effect on people, bringing a kind of joy. Her expression slowly faded to one of rest, where it showed almost nothing but a little awe. It was then she noticed that he still grasped her hands. She looked up to him with a little shock, confusion, and fear mixed into one. He sensed it as well, seeing at that he let go as she pulled her hands away. Then, she faced the railing again, and looked downwards to hide her blush. He did odd things to her.

"I will admit I escaped," she answered over her shoulder. He came over to stand with her. "But, Vanira – my lady in waiting – did approve."

Seriously, he nodded. "Why did you come out here?" he asked, sounding more curious than anything else.

She merely shrugged, staring off into space. "I guess I was just a little frustrated," she explained, her words dull as she looked out into space. "I wanted time to myself, to be a real person, not a queen."

Vaan didn't say anything, but nodded just the same. Then, Ashe turned around with a smile. "So, why are _you _in Rabanastre?" she asked merrily. Then she waved her hand towards the heavens. "I thought you'd be out sky-pirating."

At this, he winced with thought. Scratching the back of his head, he looked away. "Well... I was."

She nodded with a wrinkled brow. That was an unexpected answer. "And?" she asked.

"But, without Penelo it seemed kinda pointless," he admitted, turning to her.

Hearing this, Ashe was automatically thinking the worst. Was she alright? Penelo had been a friend and ally of hers; she didn't want her to be in any danger. "Is she...?"

His eyes widened and he held up his hands in defense. "Oh no, she's okay," he assured. "Really, she told me in her last letter she was doing just fine."

Ashe nodded. "But..." she prodded. There had to be a reason the two were separated.

He strained to think, moving around a bit. It was as though the question was making him uncomfortable. "Well, she, uh—."

Ashe was growing impatient. He knew the answer, and this diversion was a little irritating. "She...?" she started.

"—Got married," he gasped out. As he said it, he let out a sigh of relief. "There, I said it."

At this news, she simply looked at him. Penelo? Married? That didn't seem like her. She was still rather young. Then, Ashe recalled her own wedding. With that aside, she looked back to Vaan. "Really?" she asked, brow almost to her hairline. "She has?"

He nodded, looking the other way. Vaan scratched the back of his head, still looking uncomfortable. "Yeah, for almost two years now..." he stated. "She's uh, having a baby too."

Ashe placed a hand over her chest. "Wow," she said, tone quiet. "I had no idea. Is she well? How far is she along?"

Vaan shrugged. "Actually, she should be having it any day now," he said, wincing in thought once more. "She's going to be visiting in a few days—she wants to have it here."

"Oh." Ashe was clearly still surprised. Then, another thought occurred to her and she looked over with curiousity. "Who did she marry?" At this, Vaan winced again. Ashe feared the worst and her brow wrinkled with sympathy. "Don't tell me she doesn't like her husband."

He looked surprised, and held up his hands in defense again. "No, no, she likes him alright," he replied with a nervous chuckle, but then sighed. "Most definitely," he whispered to himself. Then he looked up to her again, looking assuring. "And you know him, so don't worry."

For a moment she thought about it. A person that she knew married Penelo? Who could it possibly be? She didn't remember that anyone had given her that much attention when she was around the girl. Her mind had drawn a complete blank.

She finally clasped her hands to the side and shrugged. "I give up. Who is it?"

Vaan didn't answer. He simply stood there while he drummed his fingers on the railing, looking awfully nervous. Her brow wrinkled as she put on a maternal voice. "Vaan."

He looked up innocently. "Yeah?"

Ashe sighed and then put on a determined face. She shook her head with wonder, throwing her hands up in the air with surrender. "Who is it?"

He licked his lips and cleared his throat, muttering something beneath his breath, and coughing almost to disguise the word. "Balthier."

She felt her jaw drop, and an almost horror appeared on her face. "B-Balthier?" she muttered out.

Nodding, he confirmed what she didn't really want to believe. "Yep."

Making a sound of disbelief, she put a hand to her heart. No wonder Vaan didn't want to tell her right away. Balthier had been her ally, but that didn't mean he was no lady's man. He had quite the reputation before they had all crossed paths two years ago. To imagine the man settling down, and with one woman, that was definitely strange. And with _Penelo _of all of women? She didn't think that she was his type. Although, clearly every woman was his type if she remembered correctly. That still didn't explain Penelo, and why she agreed to it all.

Looking completely and totally bewildered, she spoke. "Are you serious?"

He nodded, looking her in the eye. "I was there at the wedding." Then he looked up in thought. "But of course, only Fran and I were there, seeing as they eloped and all that."

"Really?" Again, Vaan nodded. She let out a sigh. "Well, this day is filled with excitement isn't it?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "Maybe a little." But then he smiled and turned to her. "So, you did sneak out of the palace, right?" he asked.

Ashe gave him a look of question. Didn't she just answer that? "...Yes."

"Well, we certainly shouldn't be wasting your day off, should we?" he asked, with a little bit of excitement. He stood up straight and looked out to the city, before back to her. "Shall we have a little fun?"

She blinked, and stood up as well. "But what about people recognizing me?" she asked, looking concerned. "I'm sure if you figured it out that it was me, then others will too."

For a moment, he though about it, face hardening with a blank stare. "Hm," he said, putting a hand to his chin. Then, looking up again, he came over to her and looked at her closely. She leaned back slightly, feeling uneasy with him that close. It looked as though he was examining her.

"What?" she asked skeptically.

He looked at her for another moment before he answered her question. "I think you should take off your scarf," he stated bluntly.

Her brow wrinkled. "Pardon?" she asked, as though he'd gone mad. "That's the only thing hiding my appearance."

Vaan only smiled. "Trust me, I have an idea."

She still made a face of confusion. "I don't follow," she stated.

He sighed, and took her hand. "Come with me."

* * *

"Where _are _we?" Ashe asked, bewildered as she was being led through the streets. She was in a section of the city that she didn't think she had ever been that often before. It was darker than the rest of the city, inside instead of out in the streets. There were still venders and whatnot, but it seemed very secretive to her.

"Lowtown," was his only reply. She nodded. Now she remembered this place. "You just need to stay hidden while I try something."

She didn't exactly know what to say to this. Only, she continued to follow him, letting him pull her towards whatever destination that he had in store. It took a while, but finally they were led to a dead-end in one alley way. Vaan stopped, and then turned to face her.

He reached for her head slowly, but she stopped him. "I have it," she stated, putting her hands up.

Ashe reached behind her head and untied the knot that secured the scarf. Once it was loosened, it slid off her head to let her dirty blond bangs loose, some coming down to cover her eyes. Then, she took out the two pins that held the rest of her hair. The rest of her shoulder length locks came down, framing her face nicely. She had kept her hair the same the last couple years, seeing as that she had no reason to change it.

Even in the dim light, she saw Vaan smile. "Well, there's the Ashe I know," he said, offering his hand. "May I?"

She nodded and gave him the scarf. He then approached her and draped it around her neck, and under her hair. She moved her neck with his movements, making it easier for him to do what he wanted. Then, he brought it up to the top of her head, tying it securely above her bangs in a knot. He smiled at his work, before he rotated the thing so that the knot itself was at the back of her head. Then, he put his hands down and gave her a once over. "That should do it."

Her brow wrinkled, and she reached up to touch what he had done. "That didn't do anything," she stated.

Vaan raised his pointer finger. "Exactly."

She still seemed skeptical. "Now definitely people will stare."

He blinked. "Huh?"

She shrugged and let out a deep breath. "Well, to be honest, I felt rather odd when I was walking through the streets today," she answered. Crossing her arms, she looked away, rather flustered. "Before I ran into you."

He seemed to be thinking of a reason for this, but then shook his head, "Why?"

Ashe shrugged. "They knew it was me? What else?"

Still making a face, he responded, "I don't think that was it."

She placed her hands on her hips, and pursed her lips together with annoyance. "Okay, then, what was it?"

Vaan paused and bit his lip, but then inhaled deeply and spoke. "You looked too suspicious," he said. At her confusion to this comment, he continued. "Well, normally, someone your age wouldn't have covered her head entirely. I think that's what made them wonder."

Realization came to her, and she finally saw the logic in what he had just did. "So... you're saying, that I have to change what I look like, but not too drastically to stand out?" she offered.

He nodded. "Exactly."

She shrugged. "I guess that makes a little sense."

Once she was done, he inhaled deeply with content, and turned to face the street, hands boldly on his hips as he looked around. Then, he turned halfway to face her, a definite smile on his face. "So, now that you have that, want to test it out?" he offered.

Ashe felt her brow wrinkle, and came over even as she twiddled with the loose pieces of her hair. "...How?" she asked suspiciously. She didn't entirely understand what he was getting at.

He chuckled only once. "Well, how much time until you have to get back to the palace?"

She blinked and then thought about it. "Well," she started, her brow still wrinkled, with thought as she looked up. "I think Vanira said something about only a little after dark," she answered as she bit her lip. Then, she looked at him with curiousity. "Why do you ask?"

Vaan gave her a look almost as though he thought she was joking with him. "Well, in that amount of time, what did you plan on doing?" he went on, crossing his arms confidently over his chest.

Her brow touched her hairline. "I'm not sure... Again, why?"

He gave her a devious smile. "Want something to remind you of the old days?"

At this, she just looked at him.


	3. Planning a Hunt

* * *

"Hey, Tomaj!" 

Strangely enough, without knowing exactly what he was doing, Ashe followed Vaan as he led her to a pub. The sign stated that it was called the Sandsea. It was really quite ordinary, with its usual bar, balcony and round tables about everywhere. It was still mid-day, the place not nearly as bustling as it would have been later in the evening.

Pilots weren't resting their heels and traders were all still busy working. Maybe there was the random customer, a few waitresses, and of course the bartender. But other than that, it was quite empty. The most action that was happening were workers busting the vacant tables.

As Vaan had come in, he announced his presence with a shout that surprised her, but no one else there seemed to even notice. She followed him inside silently, looking around absently as her companion went up to another young man.

He was brunet, his stature a little more bulky than that of Vaan. Tomaj wore slacks without a shirt, and looked more or less like any old Rabanastran. Still, he came up to his friend with a bright smile as Vaan came inside. The two hugged more or less, and shook hands at the same time, and then separated like old buddies.

Ashe, admittedly, really wasn't paying that much attention to the pair. She was too interested in the pub around her. To think, this rogue-like and yet homey place was in her city. The place was interesting, to admit, though different. She hadn't even noticed that the two had been in conversation as she walked over to stand beside Vaan once more.

It was then that Tomaj noticed her presence, and then pause in mid-sentence to look at her direction. Then, curiously he looked to his friend. "Well, well, who's this?"

Vaan looked surprised, and then remembered Ashe was standing right beside him. "Oh, sorry," he commented, as he put a hand behind her back to usher her forwards. "Tomaj, this is an old friend of mine, Amalia," he introduced. She was startled at the forwardness, but then stood up straight and smiled politely. "She'll be here a day or two."

Tomaj smiled. "Nice to meet you," he said, nodding his head. "Are you from out of town?"

Trying to seem friendly, she nodded and smiled. "Yes, I am," she replied. "I'll be here longer if what Vaan tells me about Penelo is true." If this man knew Vaan, then he definitely would know Penelo.

The two males seemed to looked bewildered about this comment. She seemed a little embarrassed, and she opened her mouth to explain. Then, it then came to Vaan, and he laughed out, turning to Tomaj for an explanation. "Yeah, I forgot to tell you that," he replied. "She'll be coming here in a day or two."

It then came to him, and the young man laughed. "Oh yes, I wondered why the Strahl was scheduled to port tomorrow," he replied, crossing his arms. "Usually that ship only comes at night. I guess she bullied him again."

The 'she' he was talking about had to be Penelo, and she suspected the 'him' was Balthier. Her brow wrinkled at this. She didn't think that Penelo would be the forceful type, but wasn't about to question the relationship of her friend with her husband. So, to move along the conversation, she came up with something else to say. "So... you know when ships port?" she asked, trying to look curious, and not anxious to get going.

The darker-haired man blinked, and then chuckled and turned to Vaan. "She _is _from out of town, isn't she?"

Ashe didn't know whether or not to be offended at this comment. But then, Vaan pushed it aside. "You could say that," he stated. He must of sensed her confusion, seeing as that she was looking between them with bewilderment. So, he gave her an assuring smile. She had felt even more embarrassed, not knowing what they were talking about. But his look gave her confidence.

Vaan just placed a hand onto her shoulder. "Don't worry, 'Lia," he told her, nodding to her convincingly. Though she had been uncomfortable before, she was calmer now, with the soft and friendly tone of his voice. "Tomaj here knows just about almost everything that happens in this town. He's what you'd call..."

"I like to call it, a trafficker of information," Tomaj finished off proudly, clasping his hands together in front of him.

She only raised an eyebrow. "So, you know everything?" she asked, sounding doubtful.

He nodded with an innocent smile. "I just know the right people, and get people good deals for their money. I'm someone working behind the scenes in trading," he told her, though he didn't sound like he was bragging.

If what he said was true, it wasn't a mystery how he knew the schedules of the ports. It made perfect sense to her, now that she thought about it. But then, she was interrupted by Vaan. He seemed a little concerned. "Isn't that kinda dangerous for them to port early?" he asked, brow wrinkled. "I mean, all things considering."

Ashe felt her brow wrinkle as she looked to him. What was he talking about?

Then, Tomaj blinked. "Oh, you mean Ba'Gamnan," he answered.

It was then that it hit her. Husband and expectant father or not, Balthier still had a fine price on his head, and a few unwelcome enemies. That included the group of bangaa bounty hunters.

"Well," the merchant continued. And then, with a smug expression his voice wavered only slightly. "Yeah, well last time I checked, the Strahl wasn't coming to _Rabanastre _just yet."

Vaan caught on immediately to what he was talking about, smiling and crossing his arms. At first, she looked to them both with confusion, then slowly, but surely, a smile came onto her face. "Oh..." she stated, a knowing in her voice as she caught on.

Tomaj laughed out. "She's not bad; catches on pretty quick," he told Vaan. She could have sworn she saw him wink at Vaan. "You'll have to keep her."

At this, her brow wrinkled once more, but Vaan merely shook his head. "Yeah, yeah," he responded, giving him a look. "Anyway, back to business. Where're the latest hunts today?"

He seemed a little surprised, but then shook his head. "Of course, I should've known you came here for more than small-talk," he said, chuckling slightly. He nodded to the board on the wall on the other side of the room. Ashe noted that there were many signs posted on it. "Any of them should be a walk in the park for you."

Vaan shrugged. "I wouldn't say that," he said modestly. Then, he looked to her, and held up a finger. "Stay here for a little. I'll be back in a just a minute." He glanced back at Tomaj before he left. "Keep an eye on her, will you?"

His friend nodded, and he was gone. For a split second, she regretted staying there. She felt Tomaj looking at her. But then, she jumped as he spoke. "You're from out of town?"

She whipped around to look at him. He was looking at her with innocent curiousity, trying to start a friendly conversation. She nodded a little nervously, her heartbeat still fast from him startling her. "Yes, actually."

"Are you from Dalmasca?"

Ashe nodded again. "I was born Dalmascan," she offered.

His brow wrinkled. "So, you live elsewhere?"

"Here and there."

He seemed a little confused at her short answers. She internally kicked herself. _Stop it_, _Ashe_, she told herself. Then, she smiled. "I was in the area, so I thought I'd drop by," she said, innocently placing her hands behind her back. "Rabanastre is such a beautiful city."

"Yes, that it is," he replied. "You seem to be a good friend to Vaan."

She felt her eyebrow go up. "Really?" she asked curiously. "How can you tell?"

Tomaj chuckled at his, a hand over his stomach. "For him to introduce you the way he did?" he asked. It was almost as if he was expecting her to know something, which she clearly didn't know. "Why, that shows it right there."

There was a seriousness in his eyes, and she saw it clearly. But she hadn't the faintest idea what he was talking about. Was there something strange about the way Vaan had introduced her to him? She sure as well hadn't noticed a thing.

Just as she was about to ask something, she was cut off. "What terrible things is he telling you about me now?" she heard a voice ask.

Again she jumped. Vaan stood next to her, and very closely at that. His arms were crossed, and there was another devious smile on his face as he looked from her, and then expectantly to Tomaj. "Well?" he prodded.

His friend held up his hands. "Nothing at all," he replied, as innocently as possible. "Why'd you say that?"

"Because you usually do," Vaan replied, rather bluntly.

Flustered, Ashe merely waved it off. "Oh, he really wasn't saying anything," she answered for Tomaj. "Anything bad, anyway."

Although the young blond man looked suspicious, he nodded. "If you say so," he replied, then he held up a rolled piece of parchment to Tomaj to take. "What's with this one? These aren't hard to take out."

Tomaj unrolled it, and read it carefully. "Oh, you mean those Wildsnakes in the Giza Plains," he commented. "Yeah, there's a whole bunch of those things that moved in."

"They aren't near the village are they?"

"Not entirely," he replied, folding up the parchment. "But they get in the way of getting to the Dark Crystals."

While this conversation was going on, Ashe couldn't help but feel a little confused. She didn't exactly know what it was they were talking about.

"Well, that explains Old Dalan being the one to post this," was what Vaan replied. He chuckled and placed the parchment in a pouch on his belt. "Should the nomads fail, he fails."

Ashe looked between the two. Now she was really confused.

"Go ahead and tell him before you head out," Tomaj said. "He's bound to have a little catch to it."

Vaan nodded. "Of course."

It was then Tomaj looked over to others at the board that Vaan had just been to. He held up a hand. "You two be careful," he cautioned. "In the meantime, I have business to attend to." He nodded to Ashe. "It was wonderful to meet you."

She nodded in reply as he excused himself. Then, she looked at him. "What are we going to be doing?" she asked, completely bewildered.

He crossed his arms. "Oh, only a little hunt."

* * *

"Who's this 'Old Dalan' fellow?" 

"Dalan?" Vaan asked with surprise. "Oh, he's a merchant like Migelo. A hume, and a mighty clever old man." He chuckled as he sad this, shaking his head as though he had heard a joke. "But don't take my word for it. You'll have to meet him yourself."

They were walking through Lowtown once more, taking their time as they made their way through the dark alleyways. Ashe looked at him suspiciously when he said this at first, but brushed it away as they made it to a gate. It was lit more than the rest of the space, and the door looked well taken care of. There was a small awning hanging over it, and inside there was even more light.

Vaan didn't bother knocking, merely opening the door and holding it open for her. He turned and looked at her expectantly. She blinked at the gesture at first. Then, with a chuckle, she smirked. "Quite the gentleman you're turning into," she mentioned, crossing her arms.

He shrugged. "Well, I must be polite to the queen," he replied in an almost whisper.

She rolled her eyes, but nonetheless went inside anyway. She got inside to reveal a room that wasn't too large. Crates and all kinds of things were stacked on the sides of the walls. Rugs and blankets were hanging from the walls. There were a few people about, but the one she noticed right away was the older man sitting at the far wall.

He had white hair and a long beard, his mustache curled out to the side. He dressed fairly and on his lap sat a pinkish little animal, with long ears like a viera. He petted the thing lovingly and looked up as they came inside. His eyes lit up with a knowing when he spotted Vaan.

"Well, well, well," he said, an accent on his lips. As they came over, he continued, "If it isn't Vaan Ratsbane."

Ashe looked to Vaan with a raised eyebrow. "Ratsbane?" she asked him.

Dalan chuckled and looked to her. "Our Vaan here was an expert at hunting those devils in his youth, ey?" Though he was talking to her, the question was directed towards Vaan.

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "I should have known you wouldn't give up that old nickname so easily," he said.

She cracked a smile on her face, imagining Vaan hunting rats in the sewers. It sounded a lot like something he would have done. "Well, I think it's very suiting," she said. "Dalan seems to agree."

The old man laughed as Vaan gave her a look, a mix of disbelief that she'd said that, and a guarantee that he'd return the favor. Dalan looked to him as he stopped chuckling. "Oh, you're friend is charming, Vaan. Visiting?"

The blond man nodded. "Yeah, Dalan, this is Amalia," he introduced. "Believe it or not, we're old friends. She's visiting Rabanastre for a few days."

Her brow went up and she crossed her arms again. "I take that offensively." She was being completely sarcastic. Ruffling his feathers a little wouldn't hurt.

Before Vaan could reply, Dalan interrupted. "Now, now, we don't need good friends arguing," he said. But then he leaned in slightly. "And if what I hear is correct, the two of you are more than just friends," he mentioned, looking to Vaan deviously.

Vaan shook his head as Ashe gave him a questioning look. "From what he hears, Vaan?" she asked accusingly.

"People don't really have all that much to do in these parts, Miss Amalia," Dalan replied for him. "Talking about other people's lives is much more entertaining."

She understood what he was talking about. The palace staff really could do nothing more all day than whisper to each other about who did what wrong, or who was seeing who, who was getting married, or who was expecting. Some of the rumors were decent and came from a bit of truth. Though, there were a few nasty ones. She had Vanira investigate anything that sounded bad. Those had been ones started by someone who had it out for another. Of course, she had those concerning her minimized, all others weren't exactly important.

But on the streets of Rabanastre, she really didn't have control over anything. The little performance in front of that hooligan earlier was enough to have rumors flying in the palace. But this was a large city. Why would anyone be concerned about Vaan? Was he an important figure?

"What have they been saying?" she asked, calmly and curiously at the same time.

Vaan looked a little surprised, but nonetheless Dalan replied to her question. "Only that our Vaan here has found himself a girl," he stated. "Nothing more. Though if you'd like me to say otherwise, than I can do."

Just when she had opened her mouth to speak, she was cut off. "That won't be necessary," Vaan stated, smiling deviously as he glanced to her. "We want to keep a few on their toes for a while."

"Very well," Dalan replied. "I wouldn't want to tarnish the famous Vaan's reputation."

Ashe felt her one eyebrow form into an arch. "Famous?" she asked. She looked to her companion. He appeared a little guilty as he glanced to the side, wincing slightly. Speaking of keeping a few on their toes. "Why, I didn't know about this," she continued, looking to the merchant in front of her.

"If you're his friend, you should know that he's a little bit of a hero in these parts," the old man continued. "Disappearing for a while, and then coming back right as the kingdom was taken back by the queen. He's the person who suggested all the reforms in the city, and he knows practically everyone who lives here. As if that isn't enough, he plays the role of guardian for his landlords charges, as well as a undercover guard by nightfall, usually keeping Bayna and his gang in their place."

She then gave him a look. "Well, that's quite impressive there," she said, continuing her sarcasm from before. "I wish I'd have known."

Then, Dalan laughed so loud, the animal on his lap jumped slightly. "Not that I'm trying to praise this rascal here. It isn't like he doesn't have his flaws as well," he told her. "Wasn't it last week you returned from a fistfight with Bayna?"

This surprised her. Ashe looked over to Vaan, still looking the other way. "Well," he said, rubbing the back of his head again. "It wasn't like I did it for no reason. Bayna threw the first punch; I was defending myself."

That made her feel a little better, but a fist fight? Dalan shook his head. "Returning with a limp and a swollen hand," he stated. "Foolish to take on all seven at once."

Ashe felt her eyes widen. There were _more _of those hooligans from before? But then the thing that Dalan mentioned hit her. "You took on seven at once?" she asked, almost yelling. "Are you mad?"

Vaan winced again. "Well, I won," he stated, trying but failing to defend himself.

Her eyes narrowed and she took on an almost maternal tone, hands going to her hips as she looked up to him practically menacingly. "You could've been killed!" she hissed, eyes blazing. "Why did you do such a thing?"

"Well, according to young Kytes, they all jumped on him at once," Dalan mentioned, backing Vaan up a little. He leaned back and shook his head with a sigh. "As stupid as they were to challenge Vaan here."

Her head whipped in the old man's direction. "Seven against one?" she asked. "I think that would be idiotic for the lesser party." Now that she thought about it, what they were saying was probably why Bayna had backed down from Vaan when he had told him to. If Vaan held fear and defeat over a gang's head, than what else was he capable of?

Vaan stayed silent as Dalan looked at him. "Apparently she doesn't know of your fighting 'skills'," he stated bluntly. "I'm afraid you're going to have to inform her of a lot more than you haven't told her, should she stay around a while."

The blond young man cleared his throat and gave Dalan a menacing look. "That's not really important," he said, brushing it off. He changed the subject drastically. "We came here for something else."

He then proceeded to take out something from the pouch on his belt. He unfolded the parchment and presented it to the merchant in front of him. "Ah, of course," Dalan said, seeing it. "You want to rob me of my money."

"Earning it isn't robbing," Vaan pointed out smugly.

The old merchant let out a sigh. "That it is," he replied. "Well, if you want to risk your life, go right ahead."

Vaan looked startled. "That's it?" he asked, suspiciously. "No catch?"

"A hunt is a hunt, my boy," Dalan replied. "I'm not sure what you mean." Though his words and tone were true, there was a glint in his eye as he looked to the young man in front of him.

He didn't look impressed. "Ah-uh," he stated sarcastically. "Sure..." Then he looked to Ashe and started to turn. "If that's all, then I guess we'll leave—"

"Hold on there." Dalan cut him off before he could go anywhere. "I may have something for you to do."

The young man turned around. "Go on."

"There's a shipment that's coming to the bazaar tomorrow morning. I've imported it all the way from Rozarria," he stated. "It's what those creatures are blocking from coming in. Make sure that it stays out of harm's way, and then give this to the shop keeper that is receiving the shipment." He held forth a letter. "Take your pick of the assortment."

Vaan chuckled as he took the sealed letter. "What's in shipment, if I can ask?" he asked, placing the letter where the hunt notice had once been.

"Oh, your favorite," Dalan replied. "Weapons of course."

Ashe cracked a smile. He had always had an eye for those. She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. Some things never changed.

"What am I looking out for?" Vaan asked. "Or should I ask, who?"

Dalan only chuckled once more, another glint in his eyes. "You should be able to answer that one, surely enough."

Ashe didn't need to ask to know what they were talking about this time. Vaan nodded to Dalan, before turning to her. "Ready to get going?"

She shrugged. "As ready as ever."

* * *

Yeah well, not much has gotten done in this chapter. Sorry about that; I wanted to add a little back-story to what Vaan's been doing the last two years. You'll see more about the past in future (ha ha) chapters I post. I wanted to round out the fact that he's no longer a kid. In the game, he's kinda looked down upon because of that. He's not naive anymore, and definitely grown up, as Ashe finds out a little too quickly in the next chapter. ;-) eh eh eh... (dirty mind---I scare myself sometimes) 

Also, I got feedback for the last chapter... not a lot of you were so cool about my pairing Penelo with Balthier. I can't imagine why, though. You have to admit that they'd be at least a little compatible. They usually argue around each other, always a good sign, and I mean the first time they met he gave her his handkerchief. Of course, there was a reason for that to begin with, but I sensed something more there. Apparently others have too, because they wrote their stories solely around the two.

You might even see the way I see things when you read what I've writen about them. Anyway, they are staying together, and no one can change my mind. I mean there _is_ a baby on the way, who will be here by the end of this tale, rest assured. Go ahead and try to guess the gender! I don't know if I've said this, but I'm also writing a story as to how the two wound up together after I'm done with this one. It'll be more detailed than Vaan's discription.

Have any of you noticed that the Final Fantasy series writers make different versions of the same character with each game? I mean, take each hero and heroine for example. Tell me you don't see similarities. (i.e. Tidus from FFX and Vaan are very similar, as well as Yuna from FFX and Ashe.) With that, I noticed a pattern myself. They like pairing up of the 'cute' girl, with the 'flirt' guy. A few examples you want? Mmmm... let's see: Selphie and Irvine from XIII, Rikku and Gippal from X-2, and now Penelo and Balthier. See my pattern? All the girls are considered the cute-zy one, and the guys are big flirts. If I'm totally crazy and nobody else can see that, please let me know.

And with Balthier and Fran and their whole 'partner' thing. Seriously, the English language is really messed up. People, that word means a few different things. I don't think they mean lover when they said that. I think they were just referring to the fact that they're 'partners in crime.' Besides, if they were a couple, wouldn't Fran be a little more possessive?

That's my philosophy on the situation. Any of you who like that pairing, I'm not flaming you. Go ahead and read and write those things as much as you want. I'm not going to, or trying to stop you. I'm just saying this is the reason for my work. (I prefer others not to be confused when reading what I write, out of common curtisy.)

Yeah, yeah, I talk a lot. But I did hold out for three chapters. Please review, and I'll update soon! Thanks for reading!

---Aries


	4. Migelo's Place

Yes I know this is a little late, but the good news is that it's a little longer. Thanks for all of you who've put up with me, even if my pairings aren't your type. Thanks anyway.

Also, I know it says in the summery and in the title that this is going to span a day. Yeah... about that --- I lied. This will take place in a grand total of three days. Well, the first part will. There's gonna be a prologue that'll happen later on, but that's not important. Anywho, this is day one of those three days, and because it is three days and not three years, I'm going to have more than a few chapters. I want to make this longer. Besides, with the plot I have going, one day won't quit it.

Still, thanks again. Please read and review!

---Aries

(By the way, no one's guessed the gender of Penelo's baby yet. Come on, tell me what you think. You have a fifty/fifty chance of getting it right. If you do, I'll tell you.)

* * *

"This doesn't look like the Giza Plains," Ashe commented as she was led to the another part of the city.

They had left Lowtown long ago, and after a few minutes of walking, they were currently located in the one of the main sections of town, towards the east of the city. It was the area that held very many of the shops within the city. Why, around her, she saw an armory and a weaponry. A little further down were magicks and items shops.

"It's not," was the reply from her guide.

Vaan led her to a shop to the southern part of the square, that she noted was called 'Migelo's Sundries.' She raised an eyebrow at this. Merchants traded lots of things, but she really didn't expect _everything_. (A.N. sundries literally means "stuff.") But then again, it made sense to have practically everything one could want or need. You never knew when one would come along wanting to pay a nice price for whatever it is that you have.

At her guide's response, she felt the confusion coming on again. "Well, I don't mean to sound like a bother, but aren't he Giza Plains near the Southgate, where Dalan's place was?" she asked as they headed towards the entrance to the shop.

"Yup," he replied, not looking at her as he opened the door. "I just need a few things first."

Inside, it looked a little like what the last shop had looked like. Only this shop was a little more organized, with a counter towards the far end and not as much clutter. The ceiling was a bit higher, and there was a tad bit more of light, but that was the only difference. There were a few standing about, and the one that she noticed in particular was a bangaa in the corner. He was older, and looked like he was in charge, telling others what needed to be done.

As Vaan came inside, she stayed at his heels closely. The bangaa looked up and almost smiled at his approach. The one he had been talking to excused themself. "Ah, there you are Vaan," he said. His voice was raspy, but she took it for normal. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd found Kytes or not. He came back a few minutes ago, though. I suppose I'm going to owe you for that one." Although they were annoyed words, there was a laugh in his voice.

Vaan merely shrugged. "No problem there," he replied calmly. "You don't really have to do anything," But then he held up his index finger, "except one thing." He turned to her and Ashe stepped forward, nodding to the bangaa. Vaan placed a hand at the small of her back. To introduce her, "This is Amalia. Amalia, Migelo."

Ashe smiled politely. "Charmed," she said as she bowed.

"As is here, miss," Migelo replied, doing the same. "Amalia, did you say?" She nodded in reply, staying attentive. "Oh, that nice young woman that Kytes has been talking about? You're from out of town?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am," she replied. "Kytes is a nice boy."

"That he is, that he is," th bangaa agreed, coughing to clear his throat. "He runs practically all the errands he can for me." But then he drew his attention towards her. "How long will you be here? — In Rabanastre, I mean."

Shrugging, she sighed and looked away with what appeared to be thought. "Well, I was guessing maybe a day or two, until Penelo arrives," she replied, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Ah, of course," Migelo stated. "I too am waiting for her. It knew her parents, Penelo. A wonderful young woman, and she'll be a great mother. Now, about that husband of hers on the other hand, well—"

"Speaking of Penelo," Vaan stated brightly, cutting him off. "Do you mind if Amalia stays in Penelo's old room while she's here? I'll cover it."

Migelo waved it off. "Not necessary," he said. "She'll only be here a few days, and it's not like one extra person in this house will change anything," he chuckled.

Vaan laughed at this. Ashe gave him a look of curiosity. Maybe it was an inside joke, but she wasn't sure what was going on. Then, the merchant cleared his throat. "Anyway, are you planning on going out hunting this afternoon?" he asked Vaan.

"That's why I'm here," he replied. "We won't be gone too long."

"Of course not. I just wanted to make sure before I sent one of the children out," he said, just as another person came up to him. "Make yourself at home, Amalia, dear. I'm sure Vaan will show you upstairs."

She blinked with surprise, but then nodded. The merchant went back to business, as she looked to Vaan. "Upstairs?"

"Well, that's where your room is," he replied, almost bluntly. Then, he gently placed his hand behind her back. "Come on."

He went behind the counter, and she followed accordingly as he disappeared behind a curtain. She entered a hall, that was slightly dark if not for the window on the far end. It was made entirely of rocks and clay, the floors and ceilings wooden. But other than that, it was completely earthy. It gave her a nice feeling as she looked around.

Vaan gestured towards the other end. "Down there's the bathroom," he pointed out. She nodded, telling him she understood as they headed down towards the back of the shop. "Migelo likes sleeping without any light, so his room's downstairs." He nodded to the door on the left. "I doubt you'll need to head down there though."

Then, he went to the door on the right. Inside, was a small room the size of a closet. But coming down from a hole in the ceiling was a ladder. He went over to the other side before starting to climb. She took that as a hint to follow, and soon stepped up to the first ring, then to the next. But as she got to the top, she jumped at the form in front of her, and looked up with surprise.

There was Vaan, leaning down towards her with his hand extended. What he was doing was merely a polite gesture to help her up, but it startled her. She had been kidding about the gentlemen thing before, but he really was being one. Normally she didn't really like to be praised like the queen she was, and she didn't expect him to do so since she was in disguise, but he was being very noble. It was just a little new. Vaan wasn't who he used to be. Of course there were things the same, but a lot of differences. She blinked once, just staring at him with shock.

When she didn't respond, his brow wrinkled. "Are you okay?"

She then realized what she was doing, and shook her head as though to clear it. "Yes, yes, I'm fine," she said. Without thinking about it, she took a hold of his hand.

Polite as the gesture had been intended, she felt her face redden. His grasp was warm and comforting, though strong at the same time. She didn't know why exactly, but she was embarrassed. He easily helped to get her to the second floor. Once steady on her feet, she just stood there again. She didn't take her hand away, and she didn't do anything else either.

Vaan seemed confused when she didn't respond again. He looked to her with concern, to their grasped hands, and then back again. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked, showing more suspicion than concern this time.

She quickly took her hand away, almost ripping it from his grasp. "Yes, I'm sure," she replied, awfully quickly for her.

He nodded to the hallway they were now standing in. "Well then, let's go."

Starting down the hall, she was a little slow to follow. She stopped and let out a sigh as she closed her eyes in thought. What was wrong with her? Whatever it was, she had to snap out of it. Oh well, she'd find another time, a quieter time to figure it all out. It was then she stopped in mid-thought.

Quieter?

It was then she noticed that someone was screaming. Actually, it sounded like a few someones. She looked down the hall that Vaan had disappeared down, and saw a few small forms running about, screaming while chasing each other. As she continued to walk down the hallway, the sounds grew louder.

There was all kinds of chatter, of small feet running about, voices and odd crashes. As she got near the end, she noted that the three who were running in and out of the four doorways, were all male. They wore parchment armor, and carried wooden swords as they exclaimed, 'Die evil doer!'

Apparently she shouldn't have stood in the doorway. Once there, they all came stampeding out, yelling. She couldn't help but be caught in the middle as they all came passed her. Almost twirling about to get out of the way, she yelped with fright before they all left and entered the other room. The moment they were gone, she covered her chest with her hand to stop her pounding heart. Well, this certainly was an interesting home. Vaan _lived _here?

She poked her head into the room in which the three had gone into, resting her hands on the door frame as she did so. Inside was one single bed in the corner, and one set of bunk-beds across from it. It was a dimly lit space, like the hall was, with only the sunshine from the windows coming in. Clothes covered the floor and toys were scattered in numerous places. There was a ball here, a small model of a chocobo there. It was definitely the room of young boys.

She looked around and finally spotted those who'd almost run her over. She didn't even think they'd noticed her there. Two of the boys were jumping up and down on the single bed, all barefooted, while the third was laying 'wounded' on the bed. There was a forth boy who'd been in the room in the first place. He seemed more concerned with his model of an airship than anything else, not even glancing up at her, or the other boys.

The tallest of the boys seemed to be the oldest, who was one of the two jumping on the bed. He wore shorts and a shirt that seemed a little too short for him, and he had straggly brown hair. "We have defeated the enemy!" he exclaimed. He didn't seem more than ten. "What next, Genta?"

With him were two younger boys. The one jumping up and down, who appeared to be Genta, wore a vest with his shorts, hair covered up with a cap on his head. He was a year or two younger than the first. He shrugged as he paused in his jumping. "We can play, 'Defeat the Monster," he suggested.

The third boy groaned, sitting up in the bed. "We played that this morning. I'm bored; we've played the same thing all day!" he exclaimed, pouting a little. He had darker skin, and his hair was longer and hopelessly hanging in his eyes. He was the only one without a shirt, his shorts a little longer. "Why can't we try something else, Kanza?" he asked the eldest boy.

Kanza stopped bouncing and crossed his arms. "Don't know. Well, we're definitely not playing dolls with Nami, Kiki and Dalia."

The two with him made faces. "Ew!" they chorused.

At this, Ashe couldn't help but chuckle, a smile cracking on her face. It was then that they noticed they had an audience. They looked over, and sat up. Even the boy who'd been silently playing on the floor glanced up. "Who are you?" Genta asked, curiously. "And what are you doing _here_?"

Ashe came into the room. "I could ask you all the same thing," she said, hands on her hips as she walked over. "You all live here?"

Kanza, the oldest, bounced down and onto his feet on the floor. "Yup, ever since the war," he said. "Migelo took us in."

Her brow went up. That's right, Vaan and Penelo were both orphans themselves. It made sense why all these children were here. They had neither parents or a home to call their own. She smiled and bent down. "Well, my name's Amalia, if you must know," she said, getting to his height. She extended her hand. "And you are?"

"Kanza," he said, rather proudly as he shook her hand. "I'm the oldest."

She gave him a playfully doubtful look as she pouted. "Oh really, so you're at least twenty, are you?" she asked.

His brow wrinkled as he made a funny face. "No, I'm eleven," he told her. "That's a funny question."

"Well, if Vaan is nineteen, and you're oldest, that would make you twenty, right?" she asked.

He laughed. "Oh, yeah, I meant besides him," he replied, waving it off. "All the other _kids _are younger than me. Well, besides Kytes and Fiah, but they're thirteen; they don't count."

She nodded. "That makes sense."

"You know Vaan?" one of the other two boys asked.

Ashe looked over. "Why yes I do," she told him. "May I ask your name?"

"Genta," he stated, then jabbed his finger to the boy next to him. "He's Toro. Over there's Jaia." Ashe looked to the next place he pointed to, over to the other boy. "He doesn't say much."

She nodded and stood up straight again. The last boy in the room seemed to be the less rowdy of the bunch. His clothes were nicely set and arranged, neither dirty nor wrinkled. His lighter hair was combed and arranged nicely.

Ashe simply walked over the clutter and went over, sitting down next to the boy. He seemed a little shy, for when she smiled at him, he put his head down and he scooted in the other direction. She leaned in and looked at the toy in his hands. It was a little carved wooden model, and she could have sworn that she'd seen the design somewhere before.

Ashe smiled at him. "Your name's Jaia?"

He looked up, and nodded. She held out her hand. "Can I see that?"

Jaia nodded furiously and shakily but carefully gave her the toy. She held it carefully in her hands, and smiled. "Why, this looks like the Strahl," she stated aloud.

The other three came rushing over, all sitting around her with fascination. "You've seen the Strahl!" Toro exclaimed, coming over to sit next to her. "That's cool!"

She pouted with surprise. "I take it you like that ship?"

"Are you kidding?" Kanza asked. "That ship's totally cool. With all the neat stories Vaan's told us about the adventures that he took on that ship, it has to be. I mean, to have almost every bounty hunter out for it?"

Her brow wrinkled. "Well, if you must know, I've been _on _that ship," she told them.

They all gasped and looked at her with awe. "Really?" Genta asked. "That so cool!"

She crossed her arms. "I went on a few of those 'adventures' with Vaan," she stated. "I'm sure he's told you countless numbers of them."

The trio nodded. "Vaan was the one to make that for Jaia," Kanza pointed out. "He never really wants to play with us, so he made something he can play with by himself."

For a moment, she just looked at the toy within her grasp. He made this thing? From memory? It was almost the splitting image of the ship that both of them, and a few others, had used as a transportation devise. She remembered the time she'd actually tried to high-jack the thing—it would have worked had not Vaan caught her in the act.

She cracked another smile and then gave Jaia back his toy. "That's a very nice model, there," she said. "You should take care of it."

The boy nodded once, before she stood. "Okay, you three, you live here, right? Can you tell me where Penelo's room is?" she asked. She supposed that she should go there. That was where Vaan had been leading her until... well, where did he go anyway?

Kanza looked at her with confusion again. "You're weird," he stated rather bluntly. She blinked at this, though she wasn't offended. It was just that no one had every called her that before. She'd been called many things. Weird was not one of them. "Well, her old room is upstairs," he told her as he stood up, looking rather mad as he crossed his arms. "She doesn't live here anymore. She went and got married."

Her eyebrow rose. He sounded almost upset. It was then that Toro stood. "Oh, get over it, Kanza," he said, rolling his eyes. "She was out of your league anyway. You're nothing compared to Balthier!"

Genta stood too, backing up Toro. "Yeah, she's too old for you anyway."

Ashe couldn't help but chuckle, as she looked between them. "Hold on there a minute," she said, holding her hands out. "You know Balthier?"

They looked at her with surprise. "You _are _weird," Genta agreed. She stopped at this. Great, now she had a bunch of ten year olds telling her that she was weird. That wasn't exactly the nicest thing in the world.

Kanza rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We do know Balthier. He comes to visit sometimes with Penelo. They stay a day or two, and Balthier usually plays with us. That viera lady is fun."

Her brow wrinkled. "You mean Fran," she corrected.

"Yeah her," Genta said eagerly. "She plays with us too. But Balthier is really cool. I mean, he's the captain of the Strahl! That's cool right there."

Ashe couldn't help but stop at this. The mighty and wanted sky pirates came and visited orphans? She couldn't fathom Balthier getting down on the floor to play with a few kids, let alone Fran. Now, Penelo on the other hand, that was a different story. If she did live on the Strahl with them, than maybe she was rubbing off on them. She had to admit, that the thought of Balthier as a father was rather amusing now that she thought about it.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she found the three arguing. It was about Penelo again. "Hey, if she would've waited a few years, it would've been possible," Kanza stated with crossed arms.

The other two laughed. "In your dreams," Genta laughed out. "Even if you were as old as Vaan, she wouldn't have gone for a little pipsqueak like you!"

"Hey, I won't be small when I'm older!" he exclaimed, jabbing his thumb towards his chest. "I'm gonna get bigger."

"Yeah, well girls like older guys," Toro pointed out to him, jabbing his finger in his face. "Look at who she married."

"So! What about Vaan, huh?" he asked. Then, Kanza looked to her with curiosity. "How old are _you_?"

The question caught her off guard. She didn't know what her age had to do with the entire argument in the first place. With a wrinkled brow, she decided to answer. "I'm twenty-one years old, if you must know," she stated. "Why does this have anything to do with your conversation?"

He looked from her to his friends. "Well, Vaan's nineteen, right? And you're twenty-one, so that's a younger guy with an older girl!" he shouted to them.

The other two groaned and looked at each other as they rolled their eyes.

But then she realize the indication of what he just said, and she jumped so much she swore she'd been struck by lightning. "Excuse me?!" she practically shouted.

Kanza looked to her with complete innocence. "You _are _Vaan's girlfriend, aren't you?"

She couldn't think for a moment. When did they—how did they—who told them _that_? All she had said to them was that she knew Vaan; she didn't say anything other than that. What gave them the impression that she and Vaan were a—?

Her thoughts were cut off again when she heard a few screams. She whipped around, and the boys looked out to the hall to find Vaan with three small girls hanging all over him. There was one attached to his leg, and one on each arm. The ex-thief couldn't help but look a little distraught.

The little girl at his feet was redheaded, and a little taller than the others. Her hair was short, and she wore a small sundress, sandals on her feet, compared to the other two that were barefooted. She was giggling as she clung to him. One of the others, on his right arm, was blond. Her hair was up in pigtails on the sides of her head, and she had on shorts, and a little tank top. She was swinging back and forth like he was a swing. The last had brown hair, it long and hanging in her face. Her skirt and tube top looked a little but more taken care of than the other two.

Vaan laughed and pretended to stumble as he came into the room. "I'm under attack!" he exclaimed.

Ashe forgot about what Kanza said for the moment, and immediately came over. Apparently he'd been ambushed by the girls of the house, while she was dealing with the boys. She lifted up the pigtailed girl, and placed her on her hip. The redhead then took the opportunity to jump up and hug Vaan around the middle. Then like clockwork the brunette jumped down from his arm hugged him. "Play with us!" the two exclaimed.

She couldn't help but laugh as Vaan looked at her for sympathy. "Well, well, who are these charming girls?" she asked, looking between them all.

Vaan shook his head. "Well, that one you have there is Kiki," he said, nodding towards her. Then, he placed his hand on the darker haired girl's head. "This is Dalia," he continued, and then looked to the redhead. "And their ringleader here is Nami."

Nami giggled and let go of him, placing her small fists on her hips. "I'm no ringleader," she exclaimed, pouting. "I'm just older."

"That makes you in charge, and the ringleader," Ashe pointed out.

"She's always telling us what to do," Kiki agreed, looking to the woman who held her. "Who are you anyway?"

"Yeah, where did you come from?" Dalia asked curiously, letting go of Vaan.

Vaan rubbed her head. "That's not very polite there," he told her, as he bent to her level, and then took a seat cross-legged on the floor. Then he gestured to Ashe. "This is Amalia. She'll be staying with us a day or two. I'm sure Kytes told you about her."

"Yeah," Kanza stated, coming over smugly. "Don't you know anything?"

Dalia stuck out her tongue at him. "Who asked you, big brother?"

"No one, I just said it!"

"All right you two," Vaan warned, pulling Dalia into his lap. She took a seat and was silent. "We don't need more wars around here."

Ashe's eyes softened, and she smiled. Vaan really had changed.

She leaned over to them, resting her hands on her thighs. "You two are brother and sister?" she asked, looking between Dalia and Kanza.

They both nodded. "Dalia is two years younger than me," Kanza replied.

Ashe only smiled wisely as she looked between them. "Well, you two are very lucky," she stated confidently.

The two siblings gave her a look as though they thought she was crazy. "We are?" they asked in unison.

"How?" Dalia asked, brow wrinkled.

"Well, look at you. You both have each other," she said, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I know that I don't have any siblings. You'll always have someone there to look out for you in this world. They are lots of scary things out there, and at least in the end you'll have one another."

They both looked doubtfully at her. Vaan chuckled. "You two will realize what she's talking about some day," he told them convincingly.

Kanza groaned. "If you say so."

"Which brings me to another point," Vaan said, placing Dalia on the floor as he got to his feet. "You all have to watch each other for a while. Amalia and I are going on a hunt. Kytes is out running errands, and with he and Fiah gone, that only leaves all seven of you for the rest of the afternoon." He placed his hands on his hips. "Think you can handle it?"

They all looked to him with excitement, most of them cheering a reply of agreement. He took it as a yes, seeing as he raised his arms to quiet them all. "Alright, alright," he said. "Just stay alive until dinner time, that's all I ask." He herded the girls up as he made his way out the door and sent them down the hall. "Off you go."

The three scampered down the hall, and then he turned to the boys. He crossed his arms and looked around the room, then over their forms. The room was a mess, and they were still wearing their parchment armor from before. "Well, you three have been busy too," he said, giving them a look.

They chuckled and innocently looked to the cluttered floor. "We'll clean it," Genta said. "We promise."

He waved them into the room and they all went around picking up various things. Ashe laughed and crossed her arms, giving him a look. "Well, we certainly have an army general in training," she joked as she looked to him.

Vaan's eyes narrowed. "Don't even _kid _about that," he replied, his tone lowering, although she could tell he was still joking. "It feels that way."

She covered her mouth to laugh. Then, she thought of something. She placed her hands on her hips and looked to the door. "You were showing me to my room?" she asked.

He sighed with sarcasm. "I was, wasn't I?" he asked, a completely funny tone to his words. "Well then, I shall have to continue."

She nodded. "Yes you shall."

He stepped aside and bowed, gesturing down the hall. "After you."

Ashe rolled her eyes, but went ahead anyway.

* * *

"How many children live here anyway?" Ashe asked with curiosity.

At the end of the hall had been a door, that Vaan opened to reveal another small room. Inside was another ladder, but this one led to a hole in the ceiling with a trapdoor, and it was locked. Vaan climbed it to the top, where he retrieved a key from his pocket and opened the pad lock. He flipped the door open, and continued to climb up to the last floor in the building.

"Nine," Vaan replied, his voice distant as he got up further.

Ashe followed suite just like before, although this ladder was steeper and a little less supportive than the last. When he held out his hand at the top, she didn't pause to take it. She had never been a great fan of heights. Quickly she climbed the last few ranks and got to the top. Once she was all the way up, she looked around curiously, all awhile maintaining her conversation.

"Are they all related?" she asked, taking a step forward.

It was more like a loft than anything. She noted that this level was the one that had the least amount of work done. The floors were a little creaky, and she could see through it in a few places. It was a large open space, with only two windows. The one was bigger, overlooking the street below. She was sure that two levels down was the shop.

The ladder was in a corner itself, and in the opposite corner was the other window. Below it, were a few large pillows and blankets. When she looked at it closely, she thought she saw a thin mattress underneath. It was surrounded by a curtain that was attached to the ceiling. At the time it was open, but it probably could've been closed if needed.

Next to the ladder was a short table, that looked like it served as a place to eat. Surrounding it were a few flat pillows, and a few spare knives and potions were left out on top of it. There were thick curtains on the windows, not giving it too much light even if they were open. In the other corner was a large armoire, that too locked. Two dressers were next to the curtained area. Also, there was another door on the far wall, that might have been his room but she wasn't sure.

Vaan walked over to the locked armoire as he spoke. "Not all of them," he replied, taking out another key. "Kanza and Dalia are brother and sister, as you found out. Jaia and Kiki are twins, as different as they are. Fiah usually runs errands like Kytes; you'll meet her later. She and Toro are cousins. Nami, Genta and Kytes are all by themselves."

He opened the armoire and inside she saw why he kept it locked. There were swords, shields, bows, guns, ammo, and lots of armor. Anything needed for a fight was inside, and that was what you needed to keep away from kids.

Ashe changed the subject as she came over. "Quite the collection you have here," she stated, crossing her arms.

He chuckled. "Well, people like to think that I want this many. Instead of paying, they give me these," he told her, taking out a blade. None of them were anything that you'd find just lying around anywhere, but there was definitely a lot of them. "They think that I don't feed myself. You heard Dalan."

Ashe did recall the old man saying something about weapons. "So, where is your room?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged, and looked at her honestly. "You're standing in it," he told her.

She blinked, and took another glance around the space. This was his room? Where was the bed? "Where do you sleep?" she asked with concern, brow wrinkled.

He winced once more, like he had done when Dalan had told her he'd taken on Bayna's gang by himself. Looking guilty once more, he glanced over to the curtained area with all the blankets and pillows. Ashe blinked once, and then again. That was his bed? Her brow wrinkled. Surely he had a better place to sleep than that. Even all the children had beds.

At loss for words, she opened her mouth and only a hoarse rasp came out. Vaan chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't really have a bed, actually," he admitted, almost as if reading her mind.

She gave him a look, and put her hands on her hips. "Why not? Surely you can afford one," she pointed out.

He shrugged and headed over towards the door on the far wall. "That's true. I just don't really need one. I'm fine where I am," he said humbly, opening the door. He reached for a lamp, just inside the door. He turned on the light and the dark space lit up so she could see.

Ashe went inside, finding that it was a bedroom. But this one was surely enough feminine. It had a large window above a long dresser, and a vanity was in the corner. To the left was a large bed, covered with frilly covers and pillows. There was another large armoire at the end of the bed, more or less like Vaan's own. This one wasn't locked, though. She knew whose room this was.

"Penelo cleaned out most of her stuff when she moved out," Vaan told her. "She left everything that she couldn't take along, and some of the things she really didn't need." He opened the armoire and went through the things inside. "I'm certain she has a pair of boots in here somewhere."

She blinked. "Boots?"

"Well, you can't go into the Giza Plains in sandals, now can you?" he replied, still rummaging around inside the thing. "Besides, we'll be walking a ways and your feet will get cut if you don't wear any."

She had to agree with him. Looking down to her feet, she noted that the shoes she was wearing were only good for city travel. She gazed around the room as Vaan continued looking. "I'll be staying here?"

Vaan stood up straight and turned, looking over as she took a seat on the bed. "Yeah. You okay?" he asked with concern.

Ashe nodded as she stared out into space. "I'm fine," she said, her voice low.

To tell the truth, she felt perfectly fine. There was something about this place that she liked. It wasn't the room, it was the atmosphere around the entire building. She couldn't grasp it. It looked different, smelled different, and felt all completely different from what she was used to. The place was all so new and exciting, nothing compared to her palace. She didn't know why, but she liked it.

She jumped and looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Vaan was standing next to her, looking over her with concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.

For a moment, she looked at him before she turned to face the other way. She inhaled deeply and nodded. "It's just, I'm at peace," she told him.

She felt the bed sink as he took a seat next to her. "At peace?" he echoed. He didn't sound as if he was confused, merely as if he wanted her tell him more.

Ashe nodded again. "I love this place," she told him. "I don't know why, but it's so peaceful here, and time seems to stand still here. It's so serene."

Vaan showed his agreement by nodding once. "This house is full of life," he said abruptly. His voice was calm and even, never hindering. She looked over to him with curiosity, as he stared out into space, not entirely looking at her. "It's never still during the day, but at night it's a different story." He then smiled and looked to her. "So, up here it's nice and quiet. It's alright to get away from hectic lifestyles every once in a while, you know."

It was then that she realized he wasn't talking about the house at all. Her brow went up; he was talking about her. There was an honest sincerity in his eyes as he spoke to her. "Even queens need a break," he said to her. "Nothing's wrong with wanting one."

She nodded almost breathlessly. It was then she noticed that Vaan had the most interesting color of eyes. Although gray, they were also a brownish color, with a hint of blue. There was a certain joyous sparkle to them.

It was then she realized she was staring again. But this time, Vaan interrupted. He stood and cleared his throat, a fist to his mouth. "If you want to change into anything else, I'm sure Penelo wouldn't mind," he said, nodding to the dresser. He winced as he scratched the back of his head with thought. "I don't think I have armor that'll fit you."

She nodded. "That's fine, thank you."

He started for the door, only she stopped him. As though she could physically stop him, she reached out a hand and held up her finger. She had almost stood as he reached for the door handle. "Wait," she said.

Vaan had already opened the door ajar, when he stopped to look at her. "Yes?" he asked, brow raised.

She inhaled to speak, but then nothing came out. Ashe shook her head. Why was this hard to say? Finally, words decided to come out. "Thank you," she said.

He blinked. "For what?" he asked, out of complete surprise.

Ashe felt her words stop at her lips once more. She looked to the floor and hid her eyes with her bangs. "For agreeing with me."

She didn't see his expression, but she had a feeling he was smiling. "It's no problem," he replied. Her eyes whipped up as he turned towards the door. "What are friends for?"

* * *

After further inspection of Penelo's room, Ashe had discovered that she'd left quite a few things behind. A lot of the clothes in the drawers were mostly tiny. Then again, Penelo was a small girl, and she doubted that she'd need the small things while in the process of becoming a mother. Nonetheless, she knew that the Giza Plains were warm, and although she had dressed for the city, she wasn't dressed for them.

She found a pair of skin-tight shorts, that she decided would to well under her skirt. She wasn't exactly wearing that much under it to begin with, but she wouldn't go there. After taking off her vest and top, she put on another one. This one was made of chromed leather, but she had to admit that it was a little risque. It was almost like a corset, the tight material fastening down the front with clasps. While it was tiny in the waist (showing her belly button as well), it didn't spare room for her bust. The fabric met together at a line that ran along the base of her chest. Straps the width of her thumb were what held it up. After that, she pulled on gloves without hands to them, only a simple ring around her thumbs kept them attached. They came up to her upper arms, and there she left her skin go free. Finally, she slipped on the boots that Vaan had given her, and was ready to go.

Ashe folded her other clothes and left them on the bed, before she went over to the door. But when she opened the it, she froze. She knew that she was standing there with a wide-eyed stare. Vaan had left a while ago to leave her to change. As she opened the door, she didn't expect him to be in the loft area he called his room. She also didn't expect him to be half dressed either.

Vaan was standing facing the other direction. Not only had he taken off his boots, he took off his vest. He wasn't wearing anything under the vest to begin with, that alone said something there. But what made her face turn scarlet was something else.

He was really built, and she meant _really_. From behind, she could see the excellent sculpting of his back. She had opened the door just as he was taking off the vest he wore, his shoulder blades contracting together. Tightened flesh stretched as he did, though never sagging and always perfectly. He had larger arms, not as big as those on other men she'd seen. He was more slim than others, she could tell from the litheness of his waist.

It took seconds for her to look him over. The entire time, her eyes stayed wide open. She had absolutely no idea as to why she was still even standing there, and not back in the other room. She just stood there gawking at Vaan like she'd never seen a man's torso before.

Then she stopped herself. It wasn't that she'd never seen a man before, especially in Dalmasca. No, she was staring because this was the first time that she'd seen _Vaan _as a man. He was not a little boy, not at all.

Then, almost as if he felt her watching him, Vaan looked to her. He was still facing his dresser, digging through the thing as he looked over his shoulder. "Hey, you dressed already?" he asked, standing up completely.

Ashe closed her eyes for a few seconds, clearing away her stricken expression before forming a small smile of her own. She nodded. "Yes, I'm as ready as I'm going to be," she replied, innocently clasping her hands behind her as she came over.

"Alright, I'll be ready in a minute," he replied with a nod.

Vaan seemed not at all uncomfortable in front of her with nothing on his upper body. He wasn't even looking at her, rummaging through his clothes to look for something. She walked up to him, and tried hard to keep her eyes from wandering. Too bad they weren't listening that day.

Her eyes traveled over his body once again. Somehow, they came upon the lines over his back, leading to the creases along the side of his waist. They went to the curves in his arms, how hard the muscles over his body looked even though they were soft. Those arms had held her earlier that day. She hadn't thought about it really at the time, but he had held onto her with a strong grip.

But it was then she noticed something else about him. There was a scar on the side of his abdomen. This was something unexpected. But then, she wondered why it was, with all the battles that they'd seen. If he came out unscathed every time, then she'd be a little concerned. She had a few herself. Still, she didn't think that she'd ever really noticed the scars on him before.

And then she did something that she knew she shouldn't have, but her hands had a mind of their own. She placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him from the task at hand. He looked up with curiousity and a little surprise and turned to her. "What is it?"

With a wrinkled brow, she took his wrist and moved his arm aside so she could see the scar again. It was right under his arm, running along his rib-cage. The off-white and jagged flesh could be seen in contrast with his tanned skin. She noted that he was watching as she leaned her head in. Delicately, she placed a finger on the area, and he jumped a little.

She looked up. He chuckled almost as if he was embarrassed. "Sorry," he admitted, shrugging. "Ticklish."

Ashe merely raised an eyebrow, and shook her head. Her attention turned back to the scar. "Where'd this come from?" she asked, looking at it rather than him.

He shrugged again. "Broke my rib once," he admitted.

She looked up with surprise. "It came through your skin?" she questioned with a little bit of horror.

Vaan laughed, and she saw his stomach move as he did. "No, not that," he said. "Just bruised a little, that's all," he said, reaching down to take her hand away. "It healed completely. That was from when I was still little, though." He paused as though to recall a memory. "I fell down, off a large bolder. I think I was six or seven."

Her brow wrinkled with concern. "Six?" she asked. "Quite young, don't you think?"

"Very fragile," he pointed out.

She nodded, but then her head turned as she saw something else. Her fingers trailed along his skin and he turned slightly, allowing her to see the other side of his torso. She was surprised to find even more scars. There weren't too many there, but enough not to overlook them. Not all of them ran from side to side like the other one though. One was on his right pectoral muscle, another was near his belly button. Not all of them were near his ribs, she admitted. She laughed almost in disbelief. "I don't remember you with these before."

He chuckled at this. She looked up to give him an incriminating look. As he ceased from laughing, he looked down at her with a smile. "That's because they weren't there before," he replied almost bluntly. He looked back down to where her hand had stopped, placing his own hand on hers. "They're relatively new."

Her brow rose. "Relatively?" she echoed, not sounding impressed.

He shrugged. "Got 'em the last few months, that's all," he said, brushing it aside as though it was nothing.

Ashe really couldn't believe it. She remembered Vaan to be a little reckless, but she never thought that he would be all that careless of his well being. But then again, this was Vaan. There were some things that never changed.

It was then that she suddenly noticed where exactly her hands were. She had been tracing his stomach and chest with her fingers for some time. Her hands roamed along each refined curve and delicately tripped muscle on his skin. All of the sudden, something occurred to her. It was like she had been hit over the head with a shield. She, the queen of Dalmasca, was in a room alone with a topless man, freely gliding her hands over his body.

Her eyes widened and she suddenly snatched her hands away. With a little confusion mixed with concern, Vaan looked up to look at her. "What is it?"

She tried to hide her blush, but she felt her face heat as she smiled innocently at him. She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear as she spoke. "Nothing, nothing at all," she replied. Her voice was caught in her throat, the pitch a little high. Although Vaan didn't look convinced, she cleared her throat and continued. "It's just that we should be getting along... and well we don't have much time left."

It was then that Vaan hit his forehead lightly. "Oh, darn, look at the time," he said, turning and reaching for something out of the armoire. He slipped on a loose, light weight, and practically sleeveless shirt, before he pulled on an armored vest over his shoulders. And then quickly but quietly he changed his boots, fastening them tight at the sides.

He looked at her as he put on his belt and loaded it with things. "Sorry, forgot about the time," he apologized sympathetically.

She saw a few glimpses of different potions and various other things that a hunter might need. Once he was done, he picked up a sheath, before placing a nice looking sword inside and pulling it over his shoulder. Then, he turned to her and handed her another one. Only this one was a little smaller, and had different features. "You'll need this."

Ashe took it in her hands and a small smile formed on her face. It was light and felt almost natural in her hands. She'd almost forgotten what holding one felt like. When she looked up again, she smiled at him this time. "Thank you."

He nodded to reply, before nodding to the side. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."


	5. The Desert Sun

Yeah, I know it's been a while since I've updated. I have to admit, I had a writer's block. Nothing too extreme happens in this chapter. If it looks as if I'm dragging this out... well, I am. I know, I'm evil. No flames please!

* * *

"Is it always this hot?"

"Most days, at least during the dry season anyway," was her almost blunt reply.

Ashe let out an exasperated breath as she placed her hand to her brow. She stopped in mid stride to block the sun from her eyes. It was hot, very hot indeed. Then again, these were the Giza Plains. It was really no wonder as to why. Grass didn't even like to grow in the area. Unlike other areas of the desert where it was windy, here there was no breeze at all.

This was one of the reasons she stayed inside most days, especially on warm days like today.

Vaan stopped and turned around. She had disappeared from his side, and being the newly established gentleman that he was, paused to wait for her. With a wrinkled brow, he looked at her with curiosity. "Something wrong?" he asked with a little bit of concern.

She shrugged before she shook her head, lowering her hand. She had to squint her eyes in order to see, approaching him with something of an involuntary angered expression. "It's nothing," she replied, finally reaching him. "I'm just not used to the sun, that's all. I was simply resting." She sighed at her skin. "I'm going to burn at this rate. That'll be something to explain to the court," she almost grumbled.

At this he smiled. She was going to ask him about it, but he only nodded to a pile of large rocks sitting just out of the way. There was a small amount of shade from a larger bolder, seeing as that it was late in the afternoon. "You want to take a rest?" he offered, although there wasn't an innocent look in his eye.

Suspiciously she raised an eyebrow. "I don't see why not..." she answered with a tone to her voice. "Why, what did you have in mind?"

He shook his head and held up his finger. "Just you wait," he assured smugly.

She watched as he went over and took a seat on one of the smaller rocks. Then, he took off the sword and shield that he'd been carrying on his back and placed them next to him. He lifted up his leg to rest on another yet lower rock. He untied something from around his leg, and took out a small container. It looked a little bit like a simple bag, but there was no opening that she saw from there.

Ashe went over and sat next to him, still looking suspicious. "What have you got now?" she asked with a small laugh.

He held out the item to her. "Here," he stated. "Put this on."

Now she was really confused. What was he scheming now? She held the small sack in her hands, and noted that in one corner there was a small nozzle on one of its corners. As she held it, she could feel an almost liquid like substance inside of it. She looked from it to his assuring face.

"What, may I ask, is this?" she questioned.

He only winked before he turned to adjust the pouch at his ankle. "Can't tell you," he replied.

Her eyes narrowed. "Can't, or you don't want to?" she asked.

"Literally can't," he replied, tying the pouch closed and putting his foot back on the ground. "It's something I nabbed off a trader, and he swore me to secrecy before he would give it to me. Can't reveal exactly what it is, but it prevents Humes from burning in the sun."

She looked over the pouch again, examining it from a few angles. Vaan never once looked over at her, continuing to adjust his wardrobe. "So... it's a lotion?"

"Cream," he affirmed, finally looking up at her. "Just rub it into your exposed skin. You'll get tan, but won't burn." When she still looked doubtful, he laughed. "Trust me; I use it myself."

Ashe sighed once more, but then shrugged. "Okay, fine," she exhaled. "If you say so."

She opened the end and out came a white substance. It was thicker than water, but thinner than anything else she'd ever seen. Creams and lotions to soothe the skin weren't rare around her quarters. Why, she had a very fine collection now that she recalled. But this one had no smell, she noted as she placed some on her fingertips. She put it on her upper, exposed arm and started to rub it into her flesh.

Previously her skin had been hot from the sun, but this cooled it down and she actually was beginning to think he was right. As she applied it other places she noted that she really didn't need that much of it. While as when rubbed in, it would fade, but put on too much and the access would stay there. She rubbed it into her stomach and into her legs, when she remembered her back. She wouldn't very well be able to sleep should that be burned, but she couldn't reach that far.

She looked over to her companion. At that moment, he was taking a drink of water. He reached his neck back and gulped down some of the liquid. His adams-apple moved up and down his throat, accenting the perfect texture of his skin. A few stray drops of water escaped from his mouth, dripping down his chin. Perspiration had formed around his neck and face, the droplets of sweat reflecting the sun's rays. He looked almost rugged with the small amount of dust on his face along with the tan color of his skin. His coloring had always been darker than hers, but now she noticed it more than ever.

Ashe gulped as he lowered the canteen from his throat. She knew she was staring, and had mentally kicked herself for it. But she couldn't stop looking at him.

He felt her gaze on him, and looked over with a blink. Innocently he offered it to her. "Thirsty?" he offered with a smile.

Her face turned bright red as she looked away and cursed herself under her breath. "Very," she replied as she cleared her throat.

She had to stop doing that. She laughed almost nervously, but covered it up. If that's all that he thought she was thinking, then she was in luck. Either that, or he was just really, really slow with this kind of thing. Then she stopped herself in mid-thought.

Wait just a minute! What was she doing? Every single chance she got, she was checking him out! And... Vaan? Of all people! She was the queen of Dalmasca. She shouldn't be thinking like this... it was too much out of the question.

But, then again she was a virgin widow of four years. (AN: don't know if she's virgin or not, 'cause that's never specified in the game. If she's not, then by all means tell me. Even if she is one, I'm making her one in this story because it makes a little more tension. Most think that she isn't one, considering her marriage, but then again they never say that she's not...) Couldn't she have a few of those feelings? She was twenty-one years old. Why, most women her age were married off, carrying a second child and maintaining a household. It was no wonder she was feeling... deprived. Was there something wrong with finding a man attractive, in a physical sense?

Then, she stopped herself once more. Wait! Marriage? Children? Vaan?

She was a Hume, that meant some feelings could emerge. But... Vaan?

It was then she was snapped out of her thoughts. Vaan was waving his hand in front of her face. She blinked and then focused. "Hm?" she asked. Then, with an embarrassed laugh, she brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "Sorry, I was thinking."

The young man raised an eyebrow with doubt. "You've been doing that a lot lately," he stated. "Are you sure you're fine?"

Ashe nodded reassuringly. "Positive," she stated. "What is it you were saying?"

There was still a doubtful look on his face, but then he spoke. "I was offering you some water," he stated.

Her eyes widened. That was right. "Oh, yes — thank you." She took it from him and then took a sip. For some odd reason she was fairly conscious about the fact that just moments ago his lips were where hers were...

But then she shook her head and thrust it back towards him, looking as though the thing was going to burn her. "Here," she said, looking the other way. "I'm fine now."

Vaan still seemed suspicious, but this time it was a little less apparent as he nodded. "Okay — did you need anything else?" he offered brightly. He nodded to her hand. "Help with that?"

It was then that she remembered what she was holding. Oh yeah, the cream for her back. Why was she being so forgetful? She nodded and held up the sack to him. "Well, yes," she stated, rather shyly. "Could you, um...?"

As she gestured behind her, she turned where she sat to face the other way. "Sure," he replied calmly. "No problem."

As she turned to face the other direction, she reached back and pulled her hair out of the way. Although it was still the same length as always, it still would get in the way. Besides, she didn't know what it was that was in this 'cream' and she wasn't taking any chances with her hair. Not that she particularly cared about it, but Vanira would have a fit.

She heard a few movements before she felt something cold on her upper back, closer to her shoulder. She wasn't exactly expecting it, and instantly shivered from not only shock, but the temperature.

Vaan felt her jump. "Sorry," he apologized. "I should've warned you about that."

Ashe shook her head. "No, it's fine," she said, looking over her shoulder slightly. "I wasn't even paying attention anyway."

She sensed him nod, as he used one hand to massage the substance into her skin. At first she was a little bit tense. Usually she didn't have someone doing this to her; anyone would have had the same reaction. But then she began to notice that he was massaging her muscles as well as her skin.

She couldn't see his face, but felt that he was wearing a questioning gaze. "Something wrong?" she asked with concern.

"No," She noticed he shook his head, "it's just that you have a knot back here. Do you strain your neck a lot?"

She shrugged as he continued to work the substance into her back. He moved to the other side, using both of his hands to rub. She started to think that he was doing more of a massage, and less of helping her cover her back. She groaned at his question. "Does sitting on a throne and leaning your head on a propped up arm count?" she asked, almost sarcastically.

Vaan laughed. "Yes," he replied. "That counts — and it's bad for you too."

He continued his work and she didn't reply. What he did felt good, almost too good actually. His hands were rough, callused from fighting and lifting, but as they moved she didn't care. His thumbs made circles around the base of her neck, and it hurt at first but after a while it was soothing. His other fingers moved together nicely as they loosened her tightened flesh.

She hardly noticed as her eyes closed and her neck slowly leaned forward. He slowly worked his way to her shoulders before down to her shoulder blades. There was a soft smile on her face as she let out a sigh.

Ashe felt him lean forward slightly, only for her eyes to snap open when she heard his voice in her ear. "Having fun?" he asked.

A shiver went down her spine as she stiffly sat up straight. His voice had been lower and smooth as he whispered to her. It was almost... husky. And the way she felt his warm breath next to her ear, she could have sworn the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

She almost quickly moved away, slipping out of his grasp. With a content smile, she turned to face him. "Th-Thank you for your assistance," she stuttered as she stood up. Adjusting her clothes, she walked a few steps away. "But I think we've dallied enough. We should get going if we want to accomplish our goal before dark." She looked back to see him with a questioning gaze. "Correct?"

Vaan raised an eyebrow as he stood, putting his things back as he came over beside her. "Well, I guess you're right about that one," he replied as he came over.

She turned her head and began to walk again, but then Vaan did something that startled her. He swiftly came over and put his hand on the small of her back, stepping close to her to speak. She was looking the other way as he came up and spoke softly in her ear once more, his hand wrapping around to her hip.

"You don't have to speak formally around me, 'Lia," he whispered with a laugh. "You're not in your court; it's just me."

Her back straightened as he had done this. But almost as quickly as he'd held onto her, he let go. His hand slipped from her side as he started walking away.

Ashe felt her knees buckle as she watched him. Was he playing with her?

But then he turned to face her, looking as innocent as ever. "Are you coming?" he asked as he showed slight concern.

She blinked, noting her wide eyes before she shook her head. No. Absolutely not. He wouldn't be messing with her head like that. That was something Balthier would pull, not Vaan. This was Vaan, the same rambunctious and adventure loving Vaan that she had traveled with two years ago.

But, then again, this wasn't the same Vaan anymore. That was so obvious it was blinding.

Then, Ashe laughed again. "Yes," she replied. "I am."

* * *

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Vaan stated as he shrugged. "I don't see why not."

They had only been traveling for a little while since their stop. As they walked through the dirt, they passed large rocks and small patches of grass trying to survive. There was a cactus every now and then. But it had been quiet and that left Ashe with time to think. And with the way her mind was thinking lately, she didn't want to. So, she thought she'd break the silence by saying something.

She stared forward as she spoke, not really seeing anything though. "Did Penelo say why she wanted to marry Balthier?"

Vaan looked over to her with surprise. "No, not really," he replied with a wrinkled brow. "When I asked her about it, she said that she was in love with him."

Ashe had to admit that was a good enough reason. Why else would she do that? And seeing as though Balthier was on the run, he had to risk a lot by doing something legal like that. Knowing him, he on did dangerous things for the money, or because he simply wanted to. Seeing as that he got no money out of the deal, that meant he had wanted to marry Penelo. A mutual and loving relationship — that was something not found often.

As they moved along on the uneven path, they had come across the stray monster or two, but nothing else had really happened. She was admittedly bored, and as they'd walked in silence it was a bit uncomfortable. Ashe started talking to her companion about the one thing that had been troubling her the entire day; their friends' marriage.

"So... how did it happen?" she asked as she adjusted the strap on her sword.

"Hm?" Vaan looked over curiously again, this time confused. "What do you mean?"

Her brow wrinkled. How could she put this into words that he'd understand? Vaan wasn't dumb, but sometimes he was slow like all males were.

"Well..." she started, hands clasped together. "They didn't just wake up one day and announce their feelings, did they?" she asked with a small laugh. "Something had to have happened."

"Oh, that." Vaan made a slight cringing face as he scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, I think Fran could probably tell you about that better than I could."

She gave him a questioning look as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Fran?" she echoed, tone as though she didn't believe him. "Why? Can't you tell me what happened?" As she asked this, she paused in her walking.

Innocently he held up his hands. "I'd like to tell you, but I wasn't there," he explained as he stopped to face her.

The look in his eyes told her he was telling the truth, so she continued her questioning. "Ah-huh," she said, eyes narrowed. "Okay, then tell me what happened from your half of the story." When she said 'your,' she poked him in the chest once, before placing her hands on her hips.

His eyes flickered from her hand and back to her face before he put on a confident grin, crossing his arms himself. "Fine then," he said with a wicked smile. Right before starting, he began to walk again and she followed. "Our ship was caught in a storm, here actually." His hands dropped to the side as he gestured to the area around them. "But it was during the wet season. We'd parked a little ways over there."

Ashe followed his finger as he pointed. "Okay, Penelo and you, I take it."

"Well, yes," he replied, rather bluntly as though he was thinking. Then he winced with pity as he remembered something. "Sadly we were attacked by an elemental and it fried our engines."

This caught her by surprise. Her brow went up as she looked him in the eye, watching where she was going only slightly. "That sounds terrible," she stated. Although concerned, she wasn't entirely. Things must have turned out alright, seeing as that he was right there standing with her. "Were you hurt?"

Vaan thought about this. "Not really," he told her. "But there were a few dents to my ship. It's rather small, so it can't sustain too much damage." Then his face lit up. "Have I showed you my ship yet?"

She shook her head with a calm smile. "Afraid not. I believe you forgot that."

"It's in the Estersand," he stated. "I have a friend of mine taking care of it — but I can show it to you later if you'd like."

Again she smiled. "Okay, why not?"

"Anyway, we were broken down and Penelo said we needed a few parts to fix the ship, that couldn't exactly be found in Rabanastre. So we called the only one who could help us get some wings —"

"Balthier and Fran," Ashe finished with a nod.

Vaan blinked, but then laughed. "Can't get anything past you, can I?"

She crossed her arms again and almost pouted. She looked away, placing her nose in the air as she closed her eyes. "Well, you're forgetting that I am the Queen of Dalmasca," she retorted with a smirk. "There's a reason that they call me, 'your majesty,' you know."

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a look. "Right..." he stated in reply with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "As I was saying, before I was interrupted — " At this, she glared at him, and he merely smirked, "— they picked up the parts for us and delivered them, shockingly without charging us for the service. Supposedly they'd been where it was sold, but anyway."

Ashe couldn't help but be a little confused. So far he had told her about how their ship had broken down. What did that have to do with Penelo and Balthier? "And after that...?" she asked almost hopefully.

The young man sighed and cleared his throat. Although, he didn't exactly look thrilled. "Of course I was given the privilege of repairing the ship while Penelo went over to the Strahl and talked with Fran about stuff." Ashe chuckled at his tone. Vaan merely gave her the same glare she'd given him moments ago, before he continued. "As soon as it was up and running again, Fran comes in and exclaims that one of the doors in the Strahl was jammed."

She was still quite confused. While Vaan spoke, the two of them had been making progress down the trail and over certain obstacles, which was surprisingly deserted of any and all creatures. Still, Ashe didn't know exactly where Vaan was going with his story, but she'd yet to hear the end of it so...

"And, inside the door was none other than Balthier and Penelo," Vaan finished, this time with a wince.

Oh, well that explained everything. She almost laughed. "They were trapped in the same room together?"

He nodded and then shook his head as thought to clear it. "For about three days, actually," he replied with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head. "In the meantime, Fran and I were trying to open it."

Her eyebrows rose. "Three days?" she asked. "I hope they were alright afterwards."

For a moment Vaan looked a little confused. Then when it came to him, he looked assuring. "Oh, they had food and all that," he told her. "It was actually Balthier's cabin, so it had supplies and all that..." Again, he made a face. "...and a bed."

Ashe's head whipped around to look at him, eyes wide. Was he insinuating what she thought he was? This time, Vaan scratched the back of his neck. Yup, he was. "You... caught them...?" She cut herself off, not being able to say it.

He didn't even have to confirm it verbally; Vaan nodded with his eyes closed. Ashe looked away, eyes still wide. "Well," she said on the exhale. "That certainly is shocking."

"Of course I nearly beat Balthier to a bloody pulp at the time," he said with a laugh. "Fran and Penelo held me back after I punched him."

She looked at him again. "You hit him?" she questioned, tone almost as if she didn't believe him at first.

He nodded shyly. "At the time I wasn't really thinking. I'd been up half the night working on prying the door open, and to tell the truth it was a little bit of a surprise at four in the morning," he admitted.

Even Ashe had to admit that was a little shocking. She didn't know how would she react to a situation quite like that one. But still, why did he go that berserk? "Um..." she started curiously, absentmindedly twisting one of her fingernails. "Why did you get that angry?" she asked him.

"Hm?" He appeared a little surprise, his eyebrows going up. "Oh, that — how do I put this?" he mused to himself for a minute. For a strange reason, Ashe had an odd feeling in her stomach. "You know how Penelo and I grew up together right?"

She nodded. "I recall hearing that somewhere," she replied with a somewhat curious and relaxed tone. "After your parents died, correct?"

The moment she said it, she regretted it. His dead family wasn't exactly a nice topic for conversation. She knew almost exactly how he felt, her family having all been killed during the war. Only with him, he didn't just loose one member at a time like she had. He lost all of his family at once. And besides, afterwards he didn't have anyone to look after him like Ashe had."Yeah, that's right." She saw that he didn't once look sad or offended at what she said. He looked like his usual, happy self. "Penelo and I had always been friends growing up and she became a little sister to me."

The feeling in her stomach disappeared. "So..." she started as they rounded an exceptionally large boulder. "Having a friend and your sister together was what made you angry?"

"When you put it like that, I guess so," was his reply. He chuckled a little, placing both of his hands on the back of his head. "Put yourself in my position," he said almost suddenly, grinning. "Would you trust a little sister with Balthier?"

She hadn't thought about it at that angle. The sky-pirate was known for his way with women. That had been one of the reasons she was so surprised to hear he'd settled down. Not to mention Penelo was a sensible, courageous and, the last time she checked, chaste young woman. The thought of the two married would make a number of people to stop and ask questions.

With complete and total honesty, she thought about what Vaan had said. She came to a stop and placed a hand on her hip, looking to the sky. Vaan had stopped too, waiting for her reply. Then, she looked back down to him with seriousness. "No," she said bluntly.

Vaan had long ago dropped his hands, and in that instant started to laugh. Before she knew it, she felt herself laughing as well. His laughter was contagious. She held her stomach, covering her mouth with her other hand. Almost as soon as she did, she uncovered it and spoke. "That is not funny!" she exclaimed, before closing her eyes and covering her mouth again. She couldn't stop laughing.

Her companion shook his head, gasping for air to speak between his chuckles. "Then why are you laughing?"

This only made her laugh harder. She inhaled deeply, and outright laughed. The hand at her stomach came up to help her other, subconsciously hoping that it would help her stop. But she couldn't stop. The words hadn't been funny, and she doubted that anyone else would think it hilarious. Still, she just stood there, laughing. She had to admit her stomach was starting to ache. Vaan hadn't stopped either, holding his own stomach as he leaned against the boulder they were standing near. She too had to lean over from her laughs that sounded more like giggles.

After only a few moments, the air settled and her breathing returned to normal. She stopped her expression of joy in wheezes, having to sit down on a nearby rock. Shaking her head, she looked up to Vaan, still with a grin on her face. He was facing the other way, only a few feet away from her, arm raised to support his weight.

"That felt...good."

Vaan turned with surprise on his face, and a little bit of curiousity. Ashe hadn't a clue where the words had come from, but she couldn't help it. She honestly enjoyed that, a lot. Her arms were wrapped around her now sore stomach, as her breathing returned to normal finally. As she said it, she hadn't really been looking at anything, but instead out into space.

Finally, she shook her head and looked up at him. "I don't remember the last time I laughed that hard," she admitted, looking back to where she had before. "I never even dreamed that something so simple as laughter could feel so..."

Vaan came over to her, pushing off the wall of a boulder as he did. "So...?" he pushed.

"Uplifting," she finished. Then she winced and glanced up towards him again. "Does that sound a little pathetic?"

He only shook his head. "No," he replied. "It just sounds like you haven't been living all that much lately."

Her brow wrinkled. What was he talking about? She was alive and breathing right there in front of him. What in Ivalice did he mean when he said, 'not living?'

Apparently, her confusion was obvious because he spoke again. "Meaning, that you haven't been actually living your life," he said, with a strange kind of confidence and wisdom to his expression. "When's the last time in the last four years you thought to do something for your own fun?"

She inhaled and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Vaan cocked his head to the side when she didn't answer, and she bit her mouth closed. "I can't remember," she mumbled in reply, avoiding eye contact with him.

Vaan merely grinned. "See? You probably have only been worrying about Dalmasca and the war. And now you've got laws to regulate and whatever it is queen's do," he continued.

"Well," she started with a groan. "Mostly it is listening to Parliament babble about some kind of law or something. I do hear requests from my people at times."

She heard a sigh and looked up. Her companion shook his head, arms crossed. "What am I to do with you?" She gave him a look. "Ashe, haven't you learned that queens are people too?"

Ashe stood up. "Yeah, well it's not exactly that easy," she replied, turning and walking away. "You have a bunch of people telling you what to do, and others kissing up." As she spoke, she began to speak with vigor and paced back and forth in front of him.

"And then every time you try to do something you have someone following you around, I have random lords coming to 'charm me over,'" She accented her words by using her fingers as quotations, "and then I have maids asking me whether or not I like the color of the tapestries in the west hall!"

Just as she said this, she waved her arms around her head to emphasize her words.

"On top of that, I have my people to consider. I have to think for them, even when I don't know what they want. I have to worry about whether or not my laws are fair. I have to put up with mindless ladies of the court sneering at me because I haven't married yet. 'Oh, what a cold queen we have. Have you ever seen our Ice Queen smile?'" She made a face as she imitated on duchess she didn't like. "'Is she ever going to produce an heir?' 'I heard she had numerous affairs while she was away'."

She finally looked over to Vaan as she stopped pacing. He was covering his mouth, standing there looking at her. Her brow wrinkled. "What?" she asked, almost bitterly.

He finally lifted his hand. Smiling, it looked like he was about to burst with laughter again. "That impression was funny," he stated as he chuckled.

Ashe felt her jaw drop, almost in a little bit of disbelief. "Was that the only thing you heard me say?" she asked, almost a little bit angry.

He simply smiled, his laughter stopping. "No, but you're proving my point," he stated. "Have you really never taken time to yourself lately?"

She suddenly found the cracks in the rocks fascinating. "Well..." she started, moving her head back and forth. "Yes," she confessed bluntly. Then, she looked over to him again. "Why do you think I'm here?"

Vaan looked as though he was considering this. "Good point."

Taking a deep breath, she waved her hands to the space around her. "This is as good as it's gonna get," she stated. "Today is probably my only day of fun."

Almost deviously, he looked confused. "It took you two years to figure that out?" he asked.

Her eyes narrowed and she marched right up in front of him. "For your information, I've been planning this for a while," she bit out, a mighty tone in her words. "It took a while to clear my schedule."

He only gave her a look. She couldn't help but feel her eyes roll as she sighed, calming down a little. "Okay, yes, it's a pathetic excuse. You don't have to remind me."

Vaan shook his head. "It's alright," he said, hand going to her shoulder. "I'm just glad you finally decided to take a break. It's not healthy to just work all the time; it wears you out." Well, she had to admit that he was right there. "We wouldn't want anything to happen to our queen now would we?"

She nodded. "Well then, shall we continue?" she asked, looking to the path. "We're lagging again."

His hand dropped before he nodded as well, looking at the path. "Yeah, we should probably try to get to higher ground about now."

Ashe felt her brow wrinkle as she turned her head to look at him. "Higher ground?" she echoed with concern.

Vaan turned his head, and simply winked. "Trust me?"

"Most days..."

* * *

"Tell me again why we are up here?"

Ashe found herself in an odd predicament for another time that day. She was climbing up the side of a very large rock, make that boulder, following her 'oh mighty' guide. Glancing to her feet, she made sure that she had enough support below her before reaching up for another handhold. Her eyes narrowed in on the ground below. It wasn't exactly that much of a drop, but enough to hurt oneself if they should fall.

She deeply appreciated the shorts under her skirt at that moment.

Her feet were flattened against the side, the insides of them touching the rock. Right in front of her were her hand holds, natural indents so she could have a firm grip. At that moment she was leaning against the boulder, almost hugging the thing as best she could. She didn't mind heights; she lived in a palace with high balconies. Although, falling was another story.

Looking up, she was just about to search for another handhold before she saw a hand in front of her. With a sigh, she took it and instantly felt herself hoisted up. Her other hand let go, joining the other as her feet walked up the side. Soon the rock was gone, and all that was left was space.

Vaan set her down, letting go of her hand. The boulder wasn't particularly large, so there wasn't exactly much moving room. But one rock led to another, forming a small path so to speak. From here, it was easier to walk instead of climb. Her guide pointed in a direction, and she followed his gaze.

"That's where we're going," he told her, not exactly answering her question. He gestured to a higher point not too far away from where they were.

As he spoke, she noticed something. She had become covered in dust and dirt after the climb. With a large huff she immediately began to brush the dirt off of her form. Although she had dressed informally, it didn't mean she disliked cleanliness. Just as she finished brushing her skirt of, she looked up to find Vaan staring at her.

He had turned and just started looking at her when he noticed she didn't reply. There was nothing in his gaze, no judgement, concern or confusion. He was just looking at her, innocently as ever. Ashe couldn't help but feel a little odd.

"What is it?" she asked, one eyebrow raising with suspicion.

Then, Vaan merely smiled. "Nothing," he told her. It was then he turned and started to walk away. "You just looked different for a moment."

Instantly her brow wrinkled. Wait a minute, what? Before she knew it, she was directly behind him and had grasped his arm. "Hold on there, wait a minute," she exclaimed. He stopped dead and turned to face her. Again, he gave her that innocently curious look. She placed her hands on her hips, almost pouting. If this was another one of his jokes, than why did it feel so odd? "What do you mean?" she demanded of him.

He didn't exactly answer at first. His eyes gave her a once over her form, and then to the spot she had just been standing a moment ago. Then he shrugged. "Must have been the light," he said, a content smile on his face. All the time, he'd been looking her straight in the eye. Then he cocked his head to the side and said something odd, "You just looked prettier than usual."

Ashe felt her heart stop dead for an instant. For the strangest reason, she just stood there and blinked like there was something wrong with her.

Did she hear him right? Vaan thought she looked more pretty? That meant that he thought she was pretty to begin with in the first place. Of course, many people called her pretty, beautiful even on a daily basis. Being queen, it came with the title. Even if she was completely ugly, they'd say she was beautiful. After all, who'd dare imprisonment for insulting the queen's appearance?

But then she came back to the original point. Vaan thought she was pretty. He wasn't trying to please her or persuade her, neither was he just saying it out of habit. He merely said it because that was what he really thought. It was honesty, simple and yet deep at the same time.

As she stood there in her thoughts, she barely noticed how he started walking away again. And of course, like before, he noticed that she wasn't by his side and paused to turn half way and smile at her. "Are you going to come or just stand there?"

Ashe couldn't help but stare at him. He had said that complement to her as if it was nothing — as if the entire world knew it as a fact. Beauty was really only an opinion, and usually when one was complemented on it, the one saying it had a very good reason for saying it.

He thought she was pretty.

Again, Vaan started to look at her with confusion. "You've been staring into space all day," he stated with a laugh. "Is this something I should get used to or should I be concerned?"

Although she knew he was being funny, she looked away and bit her lip. "I'm... not sure," she admitted.

That made his confusion more obvious to view. Then, he did something unusual. He laughed and shook his head. "You certainly are a strange girl, you know that."

Usually she would have reprimanded someone for calling her a girl. She'd ceased to be a girl when she'd first married. But there was no ill will behind it, and for that moment she really didn't care. She just stood there and looked away bashfully. "If you say so."

Vaan sighed and came over to her. "I'm gonna need a leash for you soon," he stated before absentmindedly taking her hand. "If we keep this up we won't even get gil before dark."

Ashe was aware that her feet were moving and that he was dragging her off. But at that instant she really didn't care. The only thing she noticed at that moment was the fact that he was holding her hand. And she had no intention of letting go any time soon.

* * *

Things _heated _up in this chapter, as you can see. And in case you haven't noticed, this is a mature story, so the temperature is really going to get past boiling before this is all over. ;-P Review please!


	6. Friends' Trust

"Oh, I understand now."

"See, told you it would be better up here," Vaan said with a small grin.

After climbing over a few rocks, they had finally gotten to a point where they could see every part of the Giza Plains. The landscape itself was vast, but up here she could see all of it. They stood on a tall series of boulders, and the since they were on the top it there wasn't much room to move.

Vaan let go of Ashe's hand before he went over towards the edge, where the rocks began to head downhill. Crouching down, she saw him take out something else from one of the many hidden pockets on his belt, and looked into it.

For a moment, she missed the warmth of his hand. She turned her gaze upon him and drew her attention to distract her. But she wasn't concerned with what he was doing at that moment. She was really more concerned about _how_. Men she were accustomed to marched or walked regally. He just walked, lightly and without thinking about it. She saw the flexing of the muscles in his arms, the way his shoulder-blades contracted.

His strong shoulders led to a neck that she couldn't help but noticed was glistening with sweat near his adams apple. A strong jaw, firm and solid lips lay above. His nose wasn't large, but evened out his face. And then unkept hair the color of white sand hung in his eyes. Beautiful and piercing blue-green eyes that gleamed with self-reassurance.

And then something really serious hit her, something monumentally frightening; she was attracted ... to Vaan.

Normally she'd panic about something like this — normally. Of course, this was no normal day. Maybe it was the sun getting to her, or maybe it was just that she kept finding herself in odd situations, but she honestly didn't care. Why? Well, for one thing, she was beginning to like it.

She looked him over again. He was now looking forward with a determined look on his face. It seemed almost as if he were thinking about something. She couldn't help but like the wonderful glint in his focused eyes, or the way his lips moved into a fixed line. Again, she looked to his shoulders, with those strong arms that had held her earlier that day. Then she glanced down to a lithe and structured waist, to a oh so heavenly formed —

"Ashe?"

Instantly she snapped out of her gaze and to his face. He wasn't looking at her, but in front of him as he spoke. "Yes?" she asked. She couldn't help but notice the lowered tone to her voice.

"Wanna see?"

That made an eyebrow go up. She came over beside him, leaning down to his level. It was then she noticed he was looking into a strange object, held up to his eyes as he faced the horizon. What exactly was he doing, anyway?

"These help you see things very far away," he said suddenly, taking them from his eyes. He still wasn't looking at her, but then he held them out to her, in front of her face. "Here, just through those two holes."

He pointed out the crystal-like openings, a pair in front of her. It was in a quadrilateral form, made from metal. Two openings were on the smaller side, while on the wider side they were larger. (A.N. these things are kinda like opera glasses. They're the closest thing I'll get to compact binoculars. If they already have something like this in Ivalice, don't yell please.) She took the object with one hand before placing her eyes to the openings. For a moment she squinted, not being able to see anything but a blur. Then, she moved the thing closer to her eyes and smiled ever so softly.

"Wow," she almost whispered.

The image in front of her was of a distant creature. It was a coyote, sniffing about on the ground. Although she was very far away, what she saw made it look like she was merely a few feet away. The creature only looked in her direction before going back to whatever it was it was doing. Ashe took the devise from her eyes to take a second look. She couldn't even see the coyote without the thing she held in her hands.

"You like?" asked a familiar voice in her ear as she put her eyes back to the openings.

She laughed only once with a slight nod. "Yes, I do," she said. "Where did you come across these things?"

Vaan merely laughed as she continued to look in front of her. Her vision traveled about, looking practically everywhere to see what she could. She saw plants and creatures, even a few people. To think something like this could make her laugh.

"Traveling," he replied simply. "Picked them up towards the border of Archadia, where this guy makes them for a hobby. He calls them 'magna-glasses' or something." He shook his head and sighed. "Took me a while for him to actually sell them to me."

When she took the thing away from her eyes, she noticed that by that time Vaan had taken a seat on the ground. One leg was on the ground, bent in front of him, while his opposite foot lay flat on the ground with his knee in the air. His elbow rested on his knee as he looked out to the horizon.

She too had to admit that her legs were feeling the strain of having her full weight on them. So, she just took her feet out from under her and took a seat, her legs now folded to her one side. She then offered him the gizmo again. "What did you want me to see?"

He leaned over towards her slightly before he took them from her hands and looked into them himself. For a moment he scanned the horizon before he made a triumphant 'Ah-ha!' and then backed his head away, never moving his hand. "There," he said. "Come over here for a moment."

For a moment she was hesitant, but then she leaned over slightly in his direction. Tilting her head to the side, she put her eyes to the device. Absentmindedly she noticed that her bare shoulder was touching his. She also noted how they were extremely close together.

Brushing all that aside, she looked in front of her to see what it was he was talking about. The area was small, and there were various indentations in the rock and ground near it. Quite a few times she saw the flash of something moving. This had to be none other than the nest of the creatures they were hunting.

She'd never been a fan of these creatures, although she hadn't met a person who liked them. That, she supposed, would be a reason why they were being exterminated. As she took the object from her eyes, she turned to look at Vaan. He'd been looking where she had been, but hadn't moved from his previous position.

It was then that she became all too aware of how close together they actually were. For a while now her shoulder had been brushed up against his, but she had gotten so used to it that it didn't bother her. Still, now her face was directly next to his, and she could see him perfectly.

His skin was a bronze, tinted from the sun and his heritage. It was different from hers, and although smooth there was a roughness to it. Small bits of dust particles settled where he'd been sweating, creating a natural layer of protection. He was cleanly shaved, although around his lips and chin, light and barely noticeable stubble was appearing. His jaw was firm, and she could practically see the muscles there at work. Crystal eyes were even brighter up close, practically absorbing the sun and brightness of sand.

Her eyes darted to his mouth again. Set in a solid line, his created a natural crease on his face. They were a light pink in color, but not at all feminine. Although not completely flat, they weren't too plump either. At that moment his tongue darted out to wet his dry bottom lip, before he swallowed and spoke. He didn't notice she was looking at him yet.

"That should be where we're headed," he said with a half sigh. "It shouldn't take too long. We can probably wipe most of them out with grenades. It'd leave a few left, though they'd be wounded so it wouldn't be that bad."

She raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitching up. "You brought explosives?" she questioned as though she didn't believe him. Although it sounded as though she was acting normal, her eyes were still focused entirely on one area; his mouth.

"Well," he replied with a small grin. "I can't really say how many there are. It's better to be safe than sorry. You still remember your Cure spells don't you?"

It was then he turned his head to look at her. At first, he was looking at her with the same regular innocence she saw on him. But then his brow wrinkled slightly with concern, and maybe a tad of confusion. She simply looked at him, ignoring his confused appearance.

She had the faintest idea why, but she was just staring at him with a strange look in her eyes. Smiling genuinely, she suddenly felt nervous. Hundreds of little winged creatures decided to appear in her stomach, and flutter around rapidly. She felt her pulse quicken and her throat go dry. It was then she noticed she wasn't exactly breathing normally.

Taking in a rabid breath, her lungs trembled. Subconsciously she hoped that her heart would stop pounding against her rib cage so hard, maybe then she could hear her own thoughts. She tried to wet her lips, but they remained parched. Then, she noticed something else. Her face had gotten closer to his own.

All of this went by in a fraction of a second, although it felt like she'd been sitting there for hours!

She held her breath; she was getting closer to him.

Without thinking she answered his question, "I brought my licences," she whispered softly. "If that's what you meant."

Closer she came to his face. She saw him look at her with absolute confusion, eyes wide with something to the effect of horror. She heard his breathing quicken, and he shifted where he was sitting. At that moment she was so close to him that she was breathing in the air that came from his lungs. He smelled wonderfully; of sand, sweat, and a fragrant plant. She brought a trembling hand up, only a few fingertips stopping on his skin.

Ashe was not thinking rationally at all. She was controlled by her wants, and wants solely. She wanted to touch him, to feel him. She _needed _to taste him...

She leaned in only a little bit further, tilting her head to the side. She was nearly there, not even a hair's width apart. His breath mixed with hers, and then —

The next thing that Ashe knew was that she was tasting dirt, and her nose was in pain. Vaan had stood and moved away so quickly that she didn't even have time to stop herself from making a face-plant into the sand.

She looked up from the ground, her hands beside her. Although she had instinctively braced herself for the fall, she was a little bit too late on that part. Blowing out harshly, she spit out the dirt and whipped her hair out of her face. That was graceful! She sat up quickly and rapidly began to brush off her face, spitting out the dirt. She briefly heard Vaan's voice as he came over.

"—you alright? Did you lose you balance or something?" he asked in an almost terrified and strangled tone. He sounded like he'd just stepped on an old lady's foot.

Ashe looked up with at him, holding her now sore nose and covering her frown. She then saw him dampening a cloth, his canteen in hands again. He tried holding it up to her face, but she held up her hand. "I'm fine," she said, her voice echoing in the palm of her hand. But she took the cloth anyway and put it to her face. "I doubt it's broken."

His shoulders sagged ever so slightly, exhaling in one swift breath. The rapidness of it was as though he'd been holding in air until then. "That's good." She could hear the relief in his voice. "We really didn't need you to have anything broken right about now," he laughed, a new calmness on his voice as she could tell he was trying to calm her down.

Wait? Had he absolutely no _clue _as to what she'd been doing just moments ago?

Ignoring her nose, she wiped away all the dirt she could, before lifting the cloth from her mouth. Brow wrinkled with uncertainty, her tone was demanding and yet hesitant. "What _exactly _do you think happened back there?" she questioned, almost as if she didn't know what to say.

She gazed at him with a knowing look, brow wrinkled furiously. Vaan merely blinked. "What happened?" he echoed. He scratched his head a little, looked to the sky in thought and laughed nervously. "I stood up and you fell over, right?" he tried with a hopeful smile.

Ashe whipped her head away in the other direction, covering her mouth with the cloth again as she pretended to clean her face once more. She was an idiot, an absolute idiot! She had just tried to kiss Vaan! Of all people! One of her good friends was showing her a good time for her day off, and here she was almost attacking him. He didn't even have the slightest clue as to what she was doing. Yes, he was physically and mentally mature (she'd overheard a few of his conversations with Balthier while she and Penelo had been secretly eavesdropping on the two way back when), but his naive sense of innocence made her feel like she was robbing the cradle!

Instantly she felt her face start to burn from embarrassment, and she winced. She started to rub slightly harder with the cloth, trying to hide her blush. How _could _she? Maybe the sun was getting to her.

When her face was clean, she stood up again and took the material into her hands. She shook it out and folded it nicely, before handing it back to him. This time, she looked away from him as she did. She held it out almost as if she were afraid that her hand would be bit off should she leave it there too long. She felt him take it back, and saw him from the corner of her eye put it away.

The silence left an empty and nauseating feeling in her stomach, almost as if she wanted to vomit, but her stomach was a void. "Why don't we get going?" she asked absently. Suddenly the awkward silence was making her nervous, and she felt those winged creatures again. "We really are lagging behind. It has to be past noon right about now."

"Good point, but I have a shortcut."

"Define _shortcut_."

* * *

"Did I mention I'm slightly weary of heights?"

At that moment, she really didn't like Vaan's idea of a shortcut. Instead of scaling a very large rock like last time, she was scaling the side of a small cliff. Nonetheless, a cliff was still a cliff and that meant that there was some distance between her, and the flat ground beneath her.

She was used to high places, as she had determined before. But in the palace there was always a railing or guard to protect her from falling. No all she had was herself — and Vaan. Not that Vaan wasn't any help, but at the moment she didn't think he'd be able to catch her if she did fall.

The cliff's side actually went down at an angle, forming a very steep hill of rocks and crevices. At that moment, she had her back to the wall while she was more or less sitting on a rock. Vaan was below her, by a few meters. She was eyeing the ground with a glare that would make a coyote tremble, as her arms were locked at her sides, clinging to the rock behind her.

To be perfectly honest, at first she was okay with the idea. Now that she was at a point where she couldn't move, she had to admit that she was slightly frightened. She didn't think that she'd fall, but she would probably fall if she tried to move from the spot she was currently occupying.

She looked around. There wasn't another handhold or ledge in sight to get her out of this one.

Vaan reached a fairly flat area where he could stand up straight without falling down, and without holding anything. He looked back to where she was and gave her a look. With a laugh, he put his hands on his hips, cocking his head to the side. "The _mighty _Queen of Dalmasca is _afraid _of heights?" he drawled out as a wicked smile cracked on his lips. "Well, I never thought I'd see the day."

She looked over to him with a glare again, eyes boring into his form. "I didn't say afraid, I said _weary_!" she hissed. Oh, how she'd like to wipe that smirk off his face. Just once she could smack him, just once. It wouldn't even leave a bruise. "Now are you going to help me down from here or aren't you?"

He chuckled again and shook his head. "Whatever you say, your majesty," he muttered to his feet.

Her companion came back over to the side of the cliff and found himself a set of foot and handholds. Slowly he lifted himself up, before he began to climb in her direction. She was a little off to the side, so most of his time was spent moving sideways. When he finally stopped, Vaan stood on a small crease in the rock with both feet, his hands doing most of the support. He was only slightly below her, just enough away so that he could reach out to her. "Okay, listen to me, alright?"

She took a deep breath and forgot her anger for the moment. "Just get me down," she nearly pleaded. The squeak in her voice surprised her.

Vaan nodded, but this time he had a content expression on his face. Holding onto the wall with one hand, he reached out to her with another. His feet were, thankfully, on a slightly solid piece of rock. "Just give me your hand, and jump down to me," he said to her with a comforting smile. It was the kind of smile he gave to the children at Migelo's house.

Ashe looked at him for a moment. His voice surprisingly calmed her down. As shocking as it was, it was true. His hand was only a little whiles away from her own. While she couldn't jump down there herself, if he was there to support her jump she had a chance. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She could do this. It wasn't as if there was too much of the wall left to go. All she had to do was reach down and jump, just like he said... right?

Reluctantly she let go of the wall with the hand closest to his own. Her other hand adjusted itself firmly, while her lower body shifted in his direction. Leaning down at the waist ever so slowly, she carefully walked her hand down the side of the cliff until her other reached his. She finally felt his fingers on hers, and reached out a tiny bit more before his hand clasped hers.

"Good, good," his voice assured her. She honestly wasn't looking at him, or the ground, or anywhere she should have been. Her focus was on her hand holding his, so all she could hear was his voice. "Now, let go of the wall and just jump down here," were Vaan's next instructions from below.

It wasn't exactly easy to adjust her lower half with nothing supporting her feet, but she somehow managed to scoot in his direction. She moved her free hand to set down right next to where she sat, before pushing herself off the rock and even further to the ledge. It was then she spotted a crease in the rock next to her foot. She maneuvered her leg towards it, relieved to finally have support beneath her.

Then, she looked down to Vaan. "Ready?" he asked her, a hopeful pushing in his tone.

She inhaled again. "Yes," was her breathless reply.

"Okay — go!"

At the same time, she pushed off the rock with her foot and her hand. For a moment she was weightless, and then she felt the rush of herself falling. Blood rushed to her head, and the adrenaline began to pump. But the good feeling stopped almost as soon as if came. Her heart jumped up in her throat, gravity pulling her weight from below. In one moment she felt a tinge of fear, but then she was thrust in another direction. She felt herself jerked to the side, and right into an embrace. Then, she was yet again thrust in a different direction.

It happened almost in no time at all. The second she hit the rock she winced in pain from her back crashing the jagged points, that dug into her delicate skin. But it was only for a moment, and then the pain dulled as she was pushed more definitely into the wall. A heavy pressure crowded her chest and torso, so much that for an instant the wind was knocked right out of her. She exhaled a wheeze, her breath caught in her lungs. Then her head found its way snapped backwards and she heard a dull thud, followed by an intense pain.

"...ou..ch," she whispered so quietly that only she heard it.

It was then that she finally came back into the present. She found herself pressed up firmly against the wall, back a little sore from obvious scratches. She couldn't see anything from what was in front of her, because for some strange reason she could not move her head. It was when she started to use her other senses did she begin to understand what was going on.

Her hair stood on end, her spine straightening. She felt her eyes go wide. Suddenly she realized why she couldn't move her neck; Vaan's head was right next to hers. His chin was embedded into her shoulder. And for that matter, her own was in his.

The pressure against her chest was none other than his own chest, pressing her into the wall tenaciously. Her hands hand found themselves pressed against the wall at her sides, just like before. His, she could feel, were next to her forearms.

She had to tilt her head up because of his height; she only stood a half a head higher than his shoulders. Although, at that moment she didn't stand. Her weight was being held up by his, so her feet were dangling beneath her. Still breathing heavily from the drop, she felt her heart drumming a clamor in her ears. Her pulse quickened, and suddenly her throat became dry as she heard his voice.

"Don't move," was a husky breath in her ear.

Just like he told her, she didn't move. For the strangest reason, she just froze. She was looking out at the space beyond her, but she couldn't see anything. She could see nothing, but the slight wisp of his hair caught in the wind that fluttered into view.

"Al–alright," she trembled in a soft tone. Her voice was still a whisper.

He kept his weight against her. Doing so, she could feel the soft contours of his body that had been so obviously apparent to her when she looked at him before. With his stomach against hers, she felt the rippling of hard muscles pushing on her own abdomen. They were pressed almost mirrorlike to one another, shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee, and hip to...hip. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

Slowly, she felt his arms move. It was almost like he was shaking as if doing so, for she heard an unevenness in his breath. She felt his sharp inhale right on her shoulder, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up even more. She wasn't cold, but all over her body she could feel those tiny bumps that came from cold weather. Then suddenly she felt an all too familiar feeling in her belly that was unwelcome at that moment.

One at a time, he placed his hands on the sides of her legs. Realizing that his grip was a little bit too high to her hip for comfort, she opened her mouth to say something but was cut off. In an instant he pulled away, lifted her legs into a sitting position, spread them open and — all within a second — pushed up against her once more.

Her new position pushed her up a little bit. Vaan now was able to nuzzle her collar bone. She inhaled and could smell a strange and yet dreadfully masculine scent from whatever he used on his hair. She closed her eyes and shuttered out air from her nose. She clamped her teeth, biting her tongue to restrain a moan.

Currently her legs were wrapped around his hips, his lower hips to be precise. Unconsciously she locked her ankles together to The very tips of her pelvis bone were connected to his own. Her face flushed when she realized what else was pressed against her pelvic bone. Never, ever had she been within the proximity of a man than she was now. She was sitting on his...she couldn't even think of it. And she had her own ... pressed up against him.

She was definitely not naive in this department. She knew what happened between a man and woman behind closed doors. How else did she understand some of the rather dirty humor she'd come across over her travels? Still, she'd never experienced it herself. This all was new and completely different than what she had expected ... at least from this little journey today. She really had to consider the possibilities of things before she did them.

It was then while she was thinking rationally, that she realized what was going on. Vaan had put them into an extremely intimate position, without asking her and without a motive. She pushed aside that feeling from her belly to replace it with anger. He may have been a friend but that didn't mean it gave him the liberty to —!

"Ashe!"

It was then that she realized he'd been trying to get her attention. He still wasn't looking at her, his face in her shoulder. He'd been talking and she didn't even notice. The tone of his voice sounded strained, almost like he was in trouble.

Ashe looked down. "What?" she asked quickly with concern. "What's wrong?"

"We're...going to fall," he hushed in a restrained voice. It was almost as if he were trying to soften the blow of his words.

"What?" this time she asked it with a confusion. What was he talking about?

"The rock beneath me — it's loose. I don't think I'll be able to hold us up soon," he stated with worry. Although she couldn't see the look on his face, she heard the emotion in his voice. He was dead serious.

She heard him, but she didn't believe it. "Excuse me?" she almost squeaked. "We're going to fall into the ravine?"

There was a pause from him. "...kinda."

It was then that realization dawned on her. "Is that the entire reason you pressed me up against the wall?" she asked. "So we wouldn't fall?"

"Yeah. I said not to move because if you did we _would _fall."

She noticed his arms had returned to the sides. They were strained from holding both she and himself up. His fingers dug into the rock, but were shaking. Beneath her, he had pressed his knees to the wall for extra support. That's why he moved her into that very ... suggestive position.

At that moment she honestly felt like putting herself in the nest of those stupid wildsnakes they were after.

"Ashe!" Vaan said suddenly.

Sh was jerked from thought. "What?" she asked with concern again. "What is it now?"

"The rock's breaking beneath me and... I don't think I'm gonna be able to hold us much longer," he moaned out with strain.

Her eyes widened when she noticed he was in pain. They had been there for a while... and he'd been pretty good at holding them like he did. Then again this is coming from the man that beat up those seven other young men without so much as a limp afterwards.

Without thinking the words slipped out. "Let go then," she demanded.

His head jerked up to her. Finally she saw his face, even if it was only a portion of it, and he was giving her the most confused look she'd ever seen from him. "Are you crazy? Do you know how long the drop is?"

"Possibly — I'm here with you," she spat back with a grin. His eyes narrowed to reply, but she continued. "It's an angle right? If you let go we can roll down this..."

"Cliff."

"Hill, not a cliff!" she hissed. "Trust me, alright?"

He sighed, shaking his head as he looked away. He muttered something she couldn't hear clearly, even if he was speaking into her ear. But what she got from it contained, 'crazy', 'woman', 'kill', and 'us.'

Rolling her eyes, she gave him a look. "What, I'm supposed to trust you, but you can't trust me?" she asked.

For about a second he thought about this. "Fine." She felt somewhat rewarded on her victory. "I'll say when I'm letting go, but you gotta be ready."

She nodded. "Alright."

"Okay, ready?"

She thought about it for a moment. Was she really ready to fall down the side of this cliff — yes a cliff! "Yes."

"Then go!"

* * *

* * *

Yes, yes I know, I left a cliffie. Oh well -- tell me what you think! Things got a little heated here, and well, actually it's going to get even hotter as the story continues. Just to let you know, not for young eyes (notice the rating) Thanks again and hope to hear from you all!

---Aries


	7. Childhood Memories

"I am _never_, under any circumstances, taking _another _one of _your _shortcuts, _again_."

"Yeah... okay, I'll admit that didn't exactly end well," Vaan admitted with a timid laugh, as he rubbed the back of his neck. From his position in the shade, she couldn't see the embarrassment on his face, but she heard it in his voice.

Ashe looked up to give him a look, her eyes forming into small lines. "You think?" she asked with sarcasm dripping on her tongue. Although completely unserious, she wasn't at all angry. In fact, she was smiling.

It was then she looked back down to what she had been doing, cleaning a wound on her leg. "I'll be surprised if I make it back to the palace alive."

She didn't hear a response to this, but felt him wince. "Sorry?" he then tried.

Sighing, she took a moment to calm herself. All and all, this wasn't his fault. Actually, she knew that the entire fiasco was her fault. Had she not gotten herself stuck on that ledge, surely things would have gone according to plan. This meant, no tumbling down a cliff.

After Vaan had let go of the rock, they had indeed fallen. It resulted in a rather long roll down the hill, where the two of them had somehow managed to part. Vaan had taken the lead — probably because he was heavier than she was — and as they landed on even ground, she crashed right into him.

He wasn't the only one embarrassed; for a _queen_, she hadn't exactly been having a graceful day. Surprisingly enough they found themselves unscathed after the fall. There was the exception of a few scrapes and bumps, but other than that they were fine. Sure, she was sore for a few minutes afterwards, but she was able to walk. The only thing bad about the situation was that she was absolutely filthy.

She was covered from head to toe in dust and dirt. Although she didn't really care— this was the desert, things like that happened — she really didn't want to explain to Vanira _how _she had managed to get so dirty. Knowing her, she'd overdramatize the situation and think of something terrible, then never let her go on another one of these outings. Not that this one was going as splendidly as she'd hoped, but at least she was getting some fun out of the entire thing.

Besides the obvious danger, the trip down the cliff had been... exciting? She wasn't certain if that was the appropriate term to use, but she did have fun.

After making sure that the other was alive and well, they had found a small shaded area nearby. Ashe found herself a nice rock — although, there were really rocks everywhere — and took a seat to clean herself off. At first she just was brushing herself off, but that was until she found the small scrape on her leg. It wasn't deep, or bleeding, but this was the kind of wound that if gone untreated, would sting all day. Better yet, should she get anything in it, it would get infected and then... well, she wouldn't go there.

It was then she sighed, her voice turning tender. "It's alright," Ashe assured calmly, while staring out into space. "It wasn't your fault, really."

For a moment it was quiet. When she didn't hear a response, she looked up to see him with a confused expression on his face, looking up to the right as though he was trying to remember something. She raised an eyebrow at his almost comical face as she chuckled slightly. "What are you doing?" she asked with a mix of amusement and confusion.

"Well, I'm trying to remember if it really _wasn't _my fault," he stated, still looking to the sky. As he said this, he was completely serious. "Now that you mention it, I don't think it was either."

Sometimes she had some questions about Vaan. She never doubted his intelligence. Considering his background, he was very wise in matters having to do with their world. Sometimes, he was a bit brash, but that came with youth. In actuality, most people of his origin and status had down to earth, good heads on their shoulders — like him. She wasn't surprised that he had been one of those as well, although he was a little bit more optimistic than others, she guessed. Then again, what orphan didn't dream of a life better than their own?

Unlike Vaan, she'd never had to worry about basic necessities, such as food and shelter, well up until recently. She wasn't exactly a pampered princess beforehand, but nevertheless she had everything she needed to survive without having to do anything but exist. All of her intelligence had come from books and stories. She hadn't real life experiences, no wisdom of the world outside the palace walls. Vaan had to learn everything himself.

The fact that he was still alive showed that he was indeed intelligent. Standing in front of her was none other than one of the few that had agreed to help her save her kingdom. And in the very end, they did. She'd heard, from Penelo, of how he had broken into the palace the same day that she and the resistance had invaded, which also happened to be the same evening two sky pirates came to take what _Vaan _had taken from the palace treasury. Had he not been there when she had been, she might haven't gotten out of the sewers. And then her kingdom might have never been saved.

Knowing this, she shrugged. "Does it matter?" she asked, her voice almost distant. Then, she offered, "I was happy you were there to break my fall, if it counts."

Almost as if he read her mind, he replied, "Yeah, I'm always there to catch you, aren't I?" with a chuckle.

She gave him a wry look as she finished cleaning her wound, and took out something from her own stash of things hidden in her belt. It was a roll of clean, white bandages — small, but efficient. The wound was right above her knee and towards the side. She'd have to wrap it around the entire diameter of her leg.

Once she began this, she looked up once more. "I wouldn't call that catching me," she replied dryly.

Actually, he'd just landed on the ground and begun to steady himself when she came rolling down, and smacked right into him. Something told her that he'd been more surprised than hurt at the time. Although, he did walk it off with a winded voice while clutching his stomach at the time. Then again, she was a good hundred pounds, at least, possibly more.

She honestly didn't check on a regular basis, because she was quite toned with muscle and that was where most of her weight came from. Although she rarely had time to train like a soldier, she found instances where she could practice her fighting skills. This allowed her to stay in shape, as well as train herself against potential harm. Even the palace guard agreed to that.

But still, all of her weight smacked full force into Vaan, and that was enough to make anyone stop short for a few moments. But he was walking, and talking for that matter. He didn't seem too bent out of shape. He didn't have any major injuries either.

Although, she could definitely notice something else.

As soon as she was done with the her leg, she tied the bandage and stood up. Reaching into her belt for something else, she pulled out a handkerchief. It was a little fancier than her friend's but fulfilled the same purpose. She went over to him, not looking him in the eye as he turned towards her.

"May I have the water canteen?" she asked suddenly, her gaze downwards as she fiddled with the cloth. Somehow it had gotten stuck on her belt-loop.

She didn't see his face, but he seemed to nod. "Sure, why not?" he asked. He grasped the strap that went over his shoulder, moving his head to the side as it passed over his head. "Here," he said, offering it to her.

"Thank you," she replied rather promptly.

Holding the handkerchief in one hand, she opened the canteen and placed it over the opening. Then, she abruptly turned it upside down while holding the cloth there. Instantly afterwards, she turned it back around so water wouldn't drip out. It was just enough to dampen the cloth. She then closed the canteen and placed the strap over her shoulder; she'd be needing it later.

"Come here a moment," she commanded as she took a hold of his arm.

Ashe stepped right up to him and pulled him forward. She held on firmly, but not harshly. With her other hand, she raised the wet cloth upwards. Vaan only had enough time for a look of absolute confusion to cross his face before she covered it with said cloth. "Hey—!"

He didn't even get enough time to defend himself before she swopped down. Taken by surprise, he was now obligated to surrender to this sneak attack. It was definitely something that he hadn't seen coming.

"You're covered in dirt!" she exclaimed softly. She held the cloth in the palm of her hand while she used the areas near her fingers and thumb to rub at his skin. At that moment, she was brushing off his nose and mouth. "We can't have you walking around like this, can we?"

When he finally had enough, he had enough sense to reach up and lift her hand away. He looked a little agitated at that moment; brow wrinkled, a slight frown on his face, and a glare in his eyes. "Ashe, what do you think you're doing?" his words were demanding, but they were more confused and annoyed than harsh.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, freeing the hand that had the cloth in it. "I'm washing off you're face," she snapped bluntly with edge. She returned to cleaning off the dirt. "Be thankful; not many would do so."

Vaan still held onto her other hand, which had taken a hold of his neck where his jaw bone connected. He didn't look at her, but stared out into space past her with a bitter annoyance. "We can wash up after we get to Migelo's," he pointed out, sticking out his bottom lip slightly. "Ashe, really, I'm not a little kid here..."

Her hand had just gotten near his left ear when she looked back at him to reply. "Well, if you're going to pout, I'll treat you like one," she countered swiftly.

The lip disappeared and he looked away. After that, he lowered his hand and crossed his arms over his chest, but she got no more complaints. She got to his temple, lightly rubbing his forehead before getting to the other side. Once she got to his nose, she put the towel over the tip her pointer finger, so as to be careful not to poke his eyes. She expected him to wince as she did this, but for an odd reason she noticed that he was watching her movements. Well, he was watching her as well as he could, anyway.

When she finally got back down to his chin, she slowed her actions. She hadn't been rubbing all that hard before, but just enough to get the top layer of dirt off. His eyes were following her. She was about to ask, but then she decided that it wasn't really needed. There could be a number of reasons why he was watching her.

Then, suddenly, he took a hold of her wrists and pulled her hands away again. This time he didn't look annoyed, but he looked distant. His eyes gazed at her with an emotionless expression that made her feel strange. She didn't think that she'd ever seen that look on his face before. "Vaan?" she asked with curiosity.

He was staring out into space when he lowered his arms, his hands still grasped around her wrists. "Vaan?" she repeated, this time sounding a little worried. "Is something wrong?"

The young man before her merely shook his head. His eyes softened, and his lips turned up into a small smile. "No, nothing like that," he answered. His voice was deep and even, even for him. "It's just... she did that."

As he said this, he looked away again.

She? 'She' who? Who in the world was he talking about? There was another woman in Ivalice that had actually cleaned his face off like that? Why, what she'd done wasn't exactly something any ordinary person would do. It really wasn't something bad, it was just normally one who performed the task had an affection for the person they were washing. An older, mature figure usually did those kinds of things. A feminine person, a maternal—?

It was when it finally hit her, that she let her arms go slack. She stood there with him for a while and stayed where she was, but she felt very different in his presence. She didn't know if it was good or bad, but she felt really, really strange.

"Your mother?" she asked softly. The question was a little redundant, but she had to say it anyway.

Vaan nodded with that same smile. "After Reks would find Penelo and me in some kind of trouble, he always dragged me home." She watched him as he looked to the ground, not really looking at anything. "And Mom was waiting with her washcloth and bandages, knowing I'd be dirty or injured." He chuckled at this. "Usually it was both."

"She never put me directly in the tub with me all dirty like that. 'I'd have to clean the tub too,' was her excuse." He chuckled at this before continuing. "Sometimes she even threatened to hose me down outside." He looked off to the side, and Ashe couldn't help but feel that strange feeling again. What was it?

"But, she'd sit me down and rub the dirt from my face," he continued. "She did it with warm water too, that way I'd never get cold. And she was always gentle. She never got angry with me for it either. I'd come home like that almost every day, but she never yelled at me or anything. She _never _got mad at me, for anything really. I don't remember a time when she was mad. That was just the way she was."

Ashe didn't know what to say to this. She'd never known her mother. Vaan had that pleasure, where she hadn't. In a way, she was a little envious. He had all these memories of the woman that had carried, birthed and raised him. But, then again, she was free from the pain of losing someone so dear to her. He probably went through a lot of pain when she died.

The handkerchief had fallen to the ground, but she hadn't noticed. His hands were now loosened, and she took the opportunity to slide her wrists from them. But she didn't take her hands away completely. She slid her palms into his, linking her fingers with his own.

At first he turned to look at her. His face was still very slack, but he looked at her with tiny bit of curiosity. She smiled kindly at him. "She sounds like she was a wonderful woman," she said calmly. "Did she look like you?"

He nodded once. "Yes," he replied. "Reks got my father's looks, my mother's personality, but with me it was the other way around. She was very pale and delicate, very small. I was the only one with her when she died of the plague." He raised his hand that held hers to look at them intertwined. "She held my hand as long as she could."

He paused again, and she saw that he might have been on the verge of tears. She held onto his hands tighter, giving them a comforting squeeze. "'You are so strong, never forget that,' she said," he continued. "'You will live and see the world like it is. I will always love you, even when I'm not here.'"

He looked her in the eye with a kind smile. "Those were her last words to me."

Ashe was at loss for words as she stood there. What could she say to that? He told her the very last things his mother had said to him, before she died right there in his presence. How could she follow that one? There was nothing she could say to that. She couldn't say that she knew what he felt, because she didn't. It would be lying if she said it.

To think he'd been carrying all _that _his entire life? First seeing his mother's death, then losing his father, and lastly his brother. How did he ever get the strength to go on and continue with his life? When she'd first met him, Vaan really hadn't a thing. But that never stopped him from going on.

And here she had been dwelling on the past, all those years.

She looked up to him and saw the very distant and sad Vaan. It was then that she understood this strange feeling; she didn't like this. She didn't like seeing him this way. He was normally bright and active and confident. Here he was dreary, so depressed and wound up in the past like she'd been. She didn't want it, like it or want him to suffer because of it. So she did the only thing she could think of to comfort him.

Her movements were very quick. She let go of his hands before taking a step closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. And with her eyes closed, she hugged him close to her and just stayed there. It was the only thing she could do.

"Ashe...?" she heard his completely surprised voice say.

She felt Vaan tense at the sudden gesture, obviously surprised. Actually, she surprised herself. While standing there she couldn't believe that she was actually there, hugging Vaan in the middle of the desert. As random and odd as it sounded, she just stayed there. Of course she had to practically stand on her toes to even reach him, but she didn't mind.

"Wh-what are you doing?" he asked, standing there with bewilderment. He didn't sound nervous, just really, really shocked. His arms had found themselves at her sides, steadying her so as not fall over. She was leaning most of her weight into him.

Ashe stood there with her face buried into his neck. "I'm sorry," she mumbled against his skin. "I really am."

She didn't move from her position, inhaling a jagged breath. For the strangest reason she felt like crying. Maybe she was upset that he was upset, or maybe she just was upset by herself. At that point she really didn't know, or care. But she slowly realized that Vaan was probably really uncomfortable in this situation, not knowing what to do. It was probably the reason that he didn't return the hug, either that or he was trying to figure out _why _she was doing what she was doing.

Her eyes stinging, she slowly slid away from his grasp and turned. She used her finger to press the side of the bridge of her nose, right next to her tear-duct; in some way she was hoping it would stop the tears. But they still came, as she felt the felt the first one leave her eye and fall down her cheek. She instantly wiped it away, almost fearful that Vaan would see her. She heard a slight movement, feeling him come up next to her. Biting a lip, she cursed herself; he was going to say something, she just knew it.

"Look now," she started, her voice unnaturally high pitched. She winced with a sniffle as she tried to regain her composure. "I only did that because—Vaan?!"

In that next moment a chill went down her spine and caused her to stand up completely straight. His movements weren't slow, in fact he did it quite swiftly. That was one of the reasons it had surprised her so much; she hadn't seen it coming.

She felt the surprisingly delicate touch of his fingertips on the skin at her hips, that caused her to shiver as he slid his hands around her stomach. His grasp was firm as he swiftly pulled her towards him, and his breath was hot against her neck. By the time he was finished he was holding her around the middle, his chin nestled into the crook of her shoulder.

Her eyes widened at all the new sensations she was feeling. In her ear she heard the slow and steady rhythm of his breathing. She felt the smoothness of his skin with his shoulders pressed up against her own; she felt the slow, steady beat of his heart against her back.

Suddenly her breaths began to quicken, and her pulse sped up rapidly. Her throat tightened and her stomach noted. She took in a jagged breath and also took in his scent, that heavenly scent from before. Her eyes turned hazy as she looked out in front of her, her mouth parted for air.

What was _wrong _with her? All of this because he was touching her? He wasn't even doing anything indecent either; he was just holding her. That was it, and there was really nothing more to it. This was bad, definitely bad. She really began to have second thoughts about this entire outing. Although she wanted to pull away from him, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't bring herself to relax either.

It was when he spoke, that made another chill go down her spine. "Ashe," he whispered into her ear, a calmness behind his voice. "Thank you."

The phrase was as innocent as anything else. But her mouth went dry when she heard his words, and her stomach twisted once more as he breathed right into her ear. This was not good; this _really _was not good.

Before she could think of what to do next, his hands slid away from her waist and he stepped back. Instantly she felt herself calm down a little as he walked past her and headed towards the path ahead of them. She simply stood there and watched him with wide eyes, her feet glued to the ground.

Vaan must have noticed that she wasn't following, and turned to look at her. The same wholesome smile returned to his face as he chuckled. "You know, we really are going to be out here all day if we keep dawdling," he mentioned knowingly.

Ashe nodded slowly and swallowed, her throat still incredibly dry. She started towards him, but then remembered her handkerchief and picked it up. Once it was back with her things, she sped up a little to catch up to him. She was actually feeling a lot better, even though she wasn't exactly herself at all.

So she sighed and put on a smile. "What's your plan for getting rid of these snakes, anyway?"

* * *

Hello everyone, Aries here. I'm very sorry for making you all wait for the next chapter. I was hoping to make it longer than this to make up for it, but then I thought it'd be cruel to make everyone wait even longer for me to write the next part. Anyway, I hope none of you have abandoned this, and I'll try to update more often. Thanks again, Aries.


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